Falling
by Sakura Blossoms in Summer
Summary: BEING REWRITTEN. Isabella Byrom wakes up in a world she's always wished to be a part of. But, knowing what the future holds, will she let things play out the way they were meant to? Or was she brought there because things were meant to change? RL/OC JP/LE SB/OC COMPLETE
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Prologue_

Isabella Byrom was invisible. Never see, never heard. She blended in more than was normal for a seventeen-year-old girl. Then again, she never did have many friends and the few she did have were only friends with her to use her. Isabella had never been one to go out with friends, choosing to stay home and do homework, making her one of very few students with a constant A-B average in all of her classes. She always sat near the front of the classroom, and somehow managed to stay on her teacher's good side.

She wasn't pretty. At least, she didn't think so. She had long brown hair that fell into curls at her mid-back. The ends were dry, dead, and almost always knotted. She never wore her hair down, always keeping it up in a ponytail or bun. Her hazel colored eyes were dull, as if she had died inside. It didn't surprise her that she thought of it that way. She was thing, and her curves were barely noticeable in the baggy clothes she wore.

She glanced at the books sitting on her bedside table. It wasn't unusual for people to find her reading one of the Harry Potter books in her spare time. In fact, they had come to expect it. There was something about those books that drew her interest. Her answer was that it was because no matter how different or shy a person may be, they always found true friends who could understand them. Like Neville Longbottom. He wasn't very popular but her had great friends and practically led a rebellion against the Carrows when they taught at Hogwarts in Deathly Hallows.

"Izzy!"

She cringed, trying to bury herself even more under the covers of her bed. When her parents started shouting, it was never anything good. There was a loud bang followed by a crash. Another of her mother's screams, this one sounded more terrified than the angry ones she was so accustomed to hearing.

"Where's the girl?"

_That voice, _she thought a she sat up, staring at the door. _It couldn't be…_

"Perhaps she's in that room, my Lord."

"Then go get her, Lucius," hissed the voice.

"Yes, my Lord!"

She tried to deny it. She _really _should stop watching the Harry Potter movies before bed because it was beginning to make her hallucinate. Now she thought she could hear Lord Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy down the hall from her room. The loud footsteps she heard coming toward her room seemed to say otherwise and she watched the doorknob to her locked room jiggle momentarily as she stared at it in disbelief.

"_Alohomora,_" he whispered

Her door slammed open and a man with long white blonde hair and cold gray eyes stared at her with a twisted smirk. He pointed something long and made of wood at her.

A wand.

"I have found the girl, my Lord," he called over his shoulder.

"_Kill her,_" Voldemort's voice hissed.

Lucius's smirk grew as he stared at her, happy with the fear he could see in her eyes. "_Avada Kedavra!_"

There was a flash of green light followed by Isabella's scream that was cut short. However, much to Lucius's confusion, when the green light faded, the girl's body was nowhere to be seen.

-x-

Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew all laughed as they strolled down the streets of Diagon Alley, shopping for their new schoolbooks. They had just left Broomstix, spending some of their precious time drooling over the newest Nimbus model. The Nimbus 1500, the only broom out there that could go up to one hundred and seven miles per hour.

Of course, they hadn't counted on running into Snivellus, but they were glad they had as, when they left, the girl who has been working the counter was still trying to undo the Transfiguration James had cast on him.

"That one was hilarious, Prongs," Sirius chuckled. "I can't believe you transfigured him into a hairless female cat."

James smirked. "Some of my best work yet."

A crowd gathered ahead drew the boys' attention and the four of them began to shove their way to the front. The people had gathered around a teenage girl who appeared unconscious. Her curly brown hair was caked with blood and she had a large gash on her side. She was extremely pale from all the blood loss and no one was doing anything to help her.

Remus shoved his way passed and ran up to her, immediately checking her for a pulse. It was there, but it was weak. He quickly removed the blue hoodie he was wearing, folding up and placing it beneath her head. Then he ripped off a large piece of his shirt, pressing it against the wound on his side. He had spent so much time patching up Sirius and James after duels that serious injuries were no stranger to him.

No one else moved to help.

"James," Remus ordered, his brief troublemaker demeanor gone, replaced by the mature version of him that his friends were used to. "You and Peter go back to your house and tell your mum that we're bringing back someone who needs help. Sirius, you're going to have to help me Apparate with her to make sure she doesn't splinch on me."

The boy nodded, James and Peter Apparating away and Sirius rushing over to help Remus lift the girl. The young werewolf noticed her eyes flutter slightly as her hazel eyes opened and she stared up at him.

"What happened to you?" he asked quietly.

She drew in a shuddering breath, and her words chilled him to the core. "It was V-Voldemort."

Without another word, her eyes closed again. The boys looked at each other and then Apparated to Potter Manor, where help was waiting.

_**A/N: I really hope I'll be able to handle three active stories at once. :/**_

_**It'll be a nice challenge, that's for sure.**_

_**?'s for the readers: I have decided that when she started Hogwarts, Izzy will have an owl instead of a cat. But, I need help figuring out what species and a name. So here's the species its narrowed down to: Screech, Barn, Tawny, Brown, Snowy, and Elf. When suggested names please consider the gender, which I have decided will be male.**_

_**Just to let you all know: This will be a Remus/OC story. So if you feel you won't like the pairing, that's okay. I'm completely fine with it. **_

_**Please review because reviews are better than cookies!**_

_**~Cherry**_


	2. A Whole New World

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter One: Whole New World_

Isabella groaned as her eyes slowly began to open. The events from just before she had passed back out replayed through her head and she tried to convince herself that she was dreaming. There was no way that she had been in Remus Lupin's arms. She had not been attacked and killed by Lucius Malfoy.

There it was.

Lucius Malfoy had shot the Killing Curse at her and yet she was still alive and breathing. That didn't make any sense. The Killing Curse should have, well, _killed _her. Instead, she had woken up in the middle of Diagon Alley with a load of people staring at her and Remus Lupin trying to keep her from bleeding to death.

_What the hell?_

She looked around the room, taking in the scarlet colored walls and gold bedspread along with the gold colored furniture. It was a very Gryffindor themed room, which suggested she was currently in the house of someone who either attends or attended Hogwarts at some point in time. She shook her head in disbelief. There was no way this was real.

No way.

The door opened and a woman's voice spoke.

"Oh good, you're awake," the woman had red hair and hazel colored eyes. She wore a kind smile and she looked at Isabella sympathetically as she sat on the end of the bed. "Remus and the boys were so worried about you when they brought you back from Diagon Alley. You've been out cold for three days now."

_Oh dear God… I mean… Merlin… Oh, whatever! _Isabella looked at the woman in shock. Surely this wasn't true.

"I'm sorry," Isabella whispered in shock. "Did you say Diagon Alley? As in the alley with all the wizarding shops behind the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Yes," the woman answered hesitantly. "You're not by any chance Muggle-born, are you? A Squib, perhaps?"

"I'm not really sure," Isabella answered with a sigh. "I mean, I know what you're talking about and everything, but I never thought I'd be here."

Her smile faltered for a brief moment. "Ah yes, Albus did mention that you come from… a difficult situation."

"Albus? As in _Albus Dumbledore_?" Isabella screeched. "Oh my God- Merlin! - This is real!"

"Yes, it is," the woman stopped talking and a sheepish smile overtook her features. "I am so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Judy Potter."

"Isabella Byrom," Isabella replied politely. "Wait - Did you say Potter?"

She nodded proudly. "That's right. Married to my husband, Harold for twenty-nine years now, and our son, James, is seventeen."

"James Potter?"

_I really need to stop acting so surprised, _she thought bitterly. _I think I have all the proof I need to see that this is real._

"Do you know him?" Mrs. Potter asked curiously. "He didn't mention knowing you when Sirius and Remus rushed you inside."

Isabella shook her head. "No, I don't know him, but I have heard of him."

Mrs. Potter's smile faded slightly at the girls' obvious lie. "Alright then. I'm afraid you'll have to wear some of James's cousin's clothes, seeing as I believe her things are all that will fit you. Once you're ready you can come down and join us for breakfast."

"Thank you, Mrs. Potter," Isabella replied as the woman stood up and exited the room.

She was quick to stand up from the bed, holding onto the nearby dresser when a sudden bout of dizziness hit her from getting up too fast. She grabbed the slightly tattered pair of well fitting blue boyfriend jeans and the gray cotton sweater with a multicolored horse print on the front. The sweater had a round neck, long raglan sleeves, and ribbed trim. She quickly changed out of the baggy sweatpants and loose t-shirt she had been wearing when she was killed and was relieved to change into some nice clothes. She slipped on her slightly worn pair of running shoes and looked herself over in the mirror before pausing.

Since when did she care if she looked presentable? She was so used to being invisible, why would that change now?

She had to do a double take when she noticed her hair. It was obvious Mrs. Potter had washed it for her as it looked clean and there was no dried blood in sight. Her hair felt slightly softer, making her wonder what kind of hair care products the older witch had used on it. It fell in soft curves around her shoulder and the hair band she had been keeping it up in was nowhere in sight. She couldn't help but smile as she ran her hand through the soft curls, no longer feeling the usual pain of her fingers being caught on knots in her hair.

A whole new world meant a whole new start.

Maybe now she could be the person she was meant to be.

She shook her head, coming back to the present and deciding it was time she headed down to face the people waiting for her. As she walked out of the room, she noticed the stairs were immediately on her left. Mrs. Potter had been kind enough to put her close enough to where she wouldn't get lost in Potter Manor. It was a kind gesture that was very much appreciated. She walked down the stairs carefully, observing the paintings and moving photographs on the wall. One of the younger witches in a painting, she couldn't have been more than nineteen, winked at her as she passed.

"Kitchen's the first door on the right, deary!" the witch called after her.

"Thank you," she whispered quietly as she reached the final step and walked down the hall, turning at the first door on her right.

There were four boys gathered at the table. It only took a brief look at each to establish who was who. James Potter had messy black hair, hazel eyes, and glasses. His friend Sirius Black had long black hair and gray eyes. Remus Lupin was the one with the sandy brown hair that she had seen many times in the movies and then Peter Pettigrew was the chubby boy with the beady eyes, slightly untrusting eyes. Mr. Potter sat at the left end of the table and the empty seat next to him was probably the one who belonged to Mrs. Potter. He sat there, reading an article in the _Daily Prophet _while the boys joked about and ate their pancakes. There was an empty seat between Remus and Sirius that she guessed had been left open for her.

"Hey, you're awake!" James grinned as he looked over at her. "Come sit and eat, we won't bite."

She smiled and walked over to sit between Sirius and Remus, noticing the boys' curious looks. She knew they were most likely dying to ask questions. She picked up the fork and slowly cut a bite of her pancakes and began eating.

"So, what's your name?" Peter asked quietly after a few minutes.

"Isabella," she replied. "Isabella Byrom."

"That's a nice name," Sirius said politely, with his wolfish grin. "Do you have any nicknames?"

"Izzy."

Remus looked up at her. "Where are you from, Isabella? You don't have a foreign accent so you're not from somewhere in the States or anything like that."

"I live in Muggle London," she lied. "I'm Muggleborn."

"Why haven't we seen you at Hogwarts, then?" James asked suspiciously.

"My parents did not wish for me to attend Hogwarts," she continued. "And so I did not go. But I know plenty about magic."

"The Disarming Spell?"

"Expelliarmus."

"The Draught of Living Death?"

"The most powerful Sleeping Potion in the world."

"The four houses and who they're named after?" Sirius added.

"Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin," she recited. "Named after Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Salazar Slytherin."

Sirius let out a soft whistle and leaned back in his chair. "She's got brains, mates," he joked with a grin. "I can't believe you weren't at Hogwarts and you still managed to learn about magic."

Isabella smiled, feeling somewhat guilty for lying to them, but there was a voice in her head telling her that now wasn't the right time. "I had some Hogwarts students that lived in my neighborhood. They helped me with learning the names and stuff seeing as I had no wand and couldn't use theirs or they'd get in trouble for underage magic."

"Oh really?" Remus asked with a raised brow. "Who?"

"Uh- well, it's been a couple of years since I've seen them. I suppose they graduated and moved out, got jobs." Isabella rambled.

"Enough, boys," Mr. Potter scolded in a warning tone.

"Alright, Dad," James replied immediately turning to smile sheepishly at Isabella. "Sorry about that. We're just curious."

_Curious? You were treating me like a Death Eater on trial, _she thought with a small smile. "It's fine."

"Letters from Dumbledore, kids," Mrs. Potter said happily as she entered the kitchen holding five letters.

_Five? _Isabella thought with a frown, hesitantly taking the letter Mrs. Potter held out to her.

_Dear Ms. Byrom,_

_We are please to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and shall be joining the other seventh years in what will be your final year of schooling. Please find enclosed a list of all items and books that will need to be purchased. As a new student you must owl back a reply by 28 August with a list of the classes you wish to take for your N.E.W.T. year._

_Yours sincerely,_

_**Minerva McGonagall**_

**Deputy Headmistress**

**Uniform:**

_You will require:_

_Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

_One plain pointed hat (black) for daywear_

_One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

_One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)_

**Course Books:**

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 7) by Miranda Goshawk_

_A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot _

_Guide to Advanced Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_

_Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts by_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore_

_Extreme Incantations by Violeta Stitch_

_Numerology and Grammatical (If taking Arithmancy) by Trinity Roman_

_The Monster Book of Monsters (If take Care of Magical Creatures)_

_Advanced Potion-Making by Libatius Borage_

_Death Omens: What to Do When You Know the Worst is Coming (If taking Divination) by Melody Meyers_

_Advanced Rune Translation (If taking Ancient Runes) by Stephen Waresback_

_Cooking the Muggle Way (If taking Muggle studies) by Sophia Jenkins_

**Other Equipment:**

_1 wand_

_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_

_1 set of glass of crystal phials_

_1 set of brass scales_

_Students may also bring an Owl OR a Cat OR a Toad_

_If you plan to join the Quidditch Team, please bring your own broom._

After a brief and interesting discussion with the boys and Mr. and Mrs. Potter, it was decided that Isabella would take Ancient Runes, Divination, and Muggle Studies along with her core classes or Herbology, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"You have to be really smart or really stupid to take that many classes for N.E.W.T.s," Sirius said with a shake of his head. "You're almost as bad as Mo- Remus here."

Isabella looked at him oddly, obviously noticing the slip. "You guys don't have to hide your secrets from me. I have a feeling I'll be okay with them."

Sirius cracked a smile. "What are you? A Seer?"

"Something like that," she replied vaguely. "I'm not one to judge people because they're different, Sirius. I was pretty different myself. Always blending in. Never seen, never heard."

He frowned. "Sounds boring."

Remus chuckled next to her, and she caught sight of him rolling his eyes. "Maybe it wasn't her choice, Sirius."

"Enough chit chat," Mrs. Potter said once tension filled the air after Remus's words. "School starts in a five days and we need to go and buy all these books and supplies. Up you get. Time for a trip to Diagon Alley."

"Can we walk this time?" James asked. "I hate using the Floo."

"I'm afraid we're short on time, dear," Mrs. Potter said sympathetically. "I have to go into work in a couple of hours, as does your father; we have to use the Floo to save time."

James groaned in protest but stood and followed his mother to the fireplace along with the others, leaving Mr. Potter to read his paper in peace.

"Do you know how to use the Floo?" Remus asked her as James stepped up to take a handful of the powder.

"Yes," she answered with a nod.

Sirius went next, followed by Peter and then Remus.

"Okay, Isabella, dear, you're turn," Mrs. Potter said with a smile.

She stepped forward and took a deep breath, grabbing a handful of the black powder once she was positioned inside the fireplace. She through it down and said clearly, "Diagon Alley!" before she was engulfed in green flames and found herself falling out of connected fireplace, right in front of the Marauders feet. However, they weren't the only people in the Leaky Cauldron. The boys had their backs facing her and she could here arguing as the ringing in her ears stopped.

"Get lost, Malfoy," Sirius growled as she stood and brushed the soot from her shirt.

Her head snapped up quickly and she stepped up to stand next Remus as she looked at the man in front of her. It was Lucius Malfoy, his cold blue gray eyes narrowed on the Marauders and a cruel smirk playing on his lips before his eyes fell on her and his smirk fell off his face as a spark of surprise quickly followed by recognition hit him.

"You," she whispered shakily. "It was you."

_**A/N: I would like to thank Blair, Sinful Sanctuary, AkiraTheDarkHuntress, bittersweetties, Bad Wolf Baybe, Keivanatae, inky14esset, and Mrs. Shelby L. Potter for reviewing. Keivanatae for favoriting this story. AkiraTheDarkHuntress, avaiaal, beekkarific, bittersweetties, inky14esset, Keivanatae, Sinful Sanctuary, sweetypie200494, xRainingxUpsidexDownx, and Yukira-Kuchiki for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**Please review because reviews are better than hugs from the Marauders!**_

…_**Aw, who am I kidding? Nothing is better than hugs from the Marauders!**_

_**~Cherry**_


	3. Unpleasant Encounters

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Two: Unpleasant Encounter_

"You," she whispered shakily. "It was you."

Remus turned to look at her, obviously quick to note the fear that was in her eyes as she stared at Lucius Malfoy, one of the nastiest Slytherins they had even had the unfortunate pleasure of knowing. It had never occurred to them that Isabella probably knew Malfoy. Why would she? She claimed to be a Muggleborn and yet she knew who he was.

"You tried to kill me," Isabella continued in a whisper.

"I always knew you'd become a Death Eater," Sirius snarled under his breath. "Not that it's a surprise or anything."

"Shut your mouth, Black," Malfoy snapped. "I have no idea what this… _filth… _is talking about."

"Don't call me that!" Isabella spat angrily. "If anyone's filthy, its you pathetic pure-blood elitists."

"What did you just say?"

"You heard me," she said. "You know, this is the _real world, _Malfoy, and in the _real world _people who choose to fight in a pointless war die. You could be in those numbers. Anyone can be."

"Purifying the wizarding world is not pointless," he insisted, the unpleasant sneer tugging at his lips. "It keeps Mudblood filth like you from tainting our kind."

Sirius snorted. "We're tainted anyway."

"Let's just go," Isabella whispered, grabbing Remus hand and tugging him toward the door. "Tom is sending us some pretty nasty looks. I'm guessing he's not too happy with the concept of a Gryffindor-Slytherin throw down."

Remus looked down at her, into her pleading eyes and sighed, throwing Malfoy another nasty look. It was then that the fireplace blazed again, signaling the arrival of James' mother.

"Let's go, children," Mrs. Potter said as she exited the fireplace. "Oh? What's going on here?"

"Nothing, Mum," James growled, eyes still narrowed on Malfoy. "Let's go."

Isabella walked slightly away from the boys, knowing that they were angry with Malfoy and not wanting that to be taken out on her. James was glaring at the ground and whispering unbecoming words under his breath. Sirius and Peter were whispering together with angry looks on their faces. Remus, he looked impassive, but by the way his shoulders were set and his hands clenched at his sides showed that he was just as angry as his mates were.

"You boys take her to get your school books, I'll get her robes," Mrs. Potter instructed as they stopped in front of Flourish and Blotts. Once you're done, take her to get a pet. And remember, an Owl, or Toad, or Cat."

"We know, Mum," James replied with a roll of his eyes. "We've got it covered."

The teenagers entered the bookshop and Isabella looked around in awe. She had always been one for reading and this was like a personal heaven for her. She walked over to one of the shelves, picking up _The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 7) _and remembering that it was on her book list. She wondered around the store, picking up the books that had been mentioned on her list. They were all rather heavy and thick, taking her by surprise when she went to carry them to the counter. The boys were already waiting for her, their books sitting in their own respective piles as she dropped hers onto the counter.

"I'm going to say this now," Isabella panted. "One of you is carrying my bag."

James snorted. "Weakling. You should join the Quidditch Team. We'll whip you into shape."

Isabella flushed red. "I- uh, I don't know how to fly."

James and Sirius looked as pale as ghosts. Apparently, someone not knowing how to fly a broom was scandalous to them. The two boys exchanged smiles and then looked back at Isabella.

"We're getting you a broom," said Sirius as Blotts bagged up their books. "And then we're teaching you how to fly."

"Oh no," she shook her head in protest. "I don't think so."

"Well, too bad," James smirked. "We're teaching you whether you like it or not. Now come on, let's go get your wand."

Ollivanders Wand Shop was very narrow and shabby. It had peeling gold letters over the door that said Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382. B.C. Isabella was nervous about going into the shop, having recalled how creepy Ollivander seemed in the books. It was silly really, that she was frightened of an old man.

"Mr. Ollivander?" James called as they entered the shop.

"Hello, Mr. Potter," came Ollivander's soft voice. "I hope you're not here because you lost your wand."

"No sir," James replied kindly. "Our friend here needs a wand; this is her first time in Diagon Alley."

Mr. Ollivander stepped out from one of the rows or shelves, he had white hair and eyes pale as the moon. "Ah, Miss Byrom, I've been expecting you for the past six years."

"Sir?" she asked in confusion.

"Which hand do you write with?" he asked, waving his wand at the tape measure and sending them to work getting all the calculations he would need.

"My right."

"Good, good," he murmured, walking to the back and returned with a handful of boxes. "Here we are. Try this one. Nine inches, willow, sturdy, phoenix feather core, good for Charms."

She closed her hand around the wand but Ollivander almost immediately snatched it back before she even had a chance the wave it.

"No, no," he continued, handing her another wand. "Try this one. Eleven inches, mahogany, unicorn horn core, good for Transfiguration."

She took the wand from him and gave it a small wave. With a startled yelp, Peter found himself drenched in water, much to Isabella's embarrassment and the other Marauder's humor. The boys laughed heartily while Remus used a Drying Charm on Peter.

"I am so sorry, Peter," Isabella said apologetically, but the boy merely shrugged, a small smile on his face.

"It's alright," he said.

"Ten and a half inches, ash, phoenix feather core, bendy, good with Charms," said Ollivander, passing her the next wand, then snatching it back. "No! I know just the wand for you."

He vanished once again behind the shelves and they could hear the sound of many boxes being moved aside followed by the sound of feet coming back down a ladder before Ollivander appeared before them again, a magenta colored box in his grip.

"This wand is very special," Ollivander said as he lifted the lid. "It comes from… less than admirable circumstances from a friend I used to know. Eleven inches, ash, Hippogriff talon core, pliable, and good in Defense. One of only three wands that have a core from a Hippogriff."

She took the wand from him carefully, almost feeling an instant connection to it. A warmth spread from her fingers up her arm as she gave the wand a wave and small bright light appeared at the tip. Ollivander smiled politely at her as James handed him the money for the wand.

"You are a very special girl, Miss Byrom," Ollivander's soft voice followed her out the door. "You alone can change the course of destiny."

She paused momentarily at his words. If she alone could change destiny then there was a reason she was in this world.

"We can go and get your pet now," Remus said as they all walked back into the busy streets of Diagon Alley. "What do you want?"

"An owl," she smiled. "I've always wanted an owl."

Eeylops Owl Emporium was small and cramped, the walls were lined with owl cages and Isabella was surprised that this placed was considered sanitary. There were various owl types; Snowy, Barn, Screech, Brown, and Tawny. However, it was a small, frightened Elf Owl near the very back that caught her attention. He was light brown with a white underbelly and darker colored chocolate brown wings tipped with white. His large yellow eyes watched her wearily as she approached.

"Hey boy," she whispered soothingly when he moved back on his perch. "It's okay, little guy. I won't hurt you."

"He's not very trusting," Mr. Eeylops said as he walked over. "He was injured a year ago in the wild. He's been here even since. When his broken wing healed, we figured with him being so young that he wouldn't last in the wild considering he didn't know how to hunt. He's been here ever since. No one wants to buy him because he's so skittish."

Isabella reached her finger through the bar closest to the owl and rubbed him comfortingly on the head. The owl hooted, a little startled before her turned his head and nipped her finger affectionately.

"Well I'll be," Mr. Eeylops grinned. "I think you made a new friend, little girl."

"I'll take him," she said, picking up the cage. "He's so adorable."

"Aw, look at it," James cooed as he poked his finger inside, only to get bitten, "Ow! Izzy, your owl's mean!"

"Don't blame Taurus, James," she snapped as they exited the shop, Remus having paid for her owl. "You're the one who stuck your finger in his cage."

"Taurus?" Remus asked questioningly.

"I was born on June 4th, and my Zodiac sign is a Taurus," Isabella answered proudly. "And he kinda looks like a Taurus to me."

James laughed loudly, earning a frown from Isabella and elbows to the gut courtesy of Sirius and Remus. Peter merely laughed at James's pain. They were only waiting for ten minutes before Mrs. Potter arrived carrying a bag full of robes and everything Isabella would need for her uniform.

"These should be the right size," said Mrs. Potter scrutinizing Isabella. "If not, we can always adjust with magic."

"Mum, can we get Izzy a broom?" James asked, looking at his mother with adoring eyes. "Please?"

"Yes, please?" Sirius joined in.

Mrs. Potter looked at them blankly and lifted a fine red eyebrow. "Why does she need a broom?"

"She doesn't know how to fly!" James said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We have to teach and convince her to try out for the Quidditch Team. We need a Seeker, anyway, now that Roland's graduated."

Mrs. Potter sent a quick look at Isabella, who was shaking her head no furiously and smiled. "All right. Nothing too expensive!" She added as James and Sirius ran into Broomstix.

Of course, they bought the best broom in the store, the very same Nimbus 1500 they had been fretting over the day they found Isabella in Diagon Alley. It was destiny, James had told her. That she turned up in Diagon Alley the same day that broom came out in stores. It seemed a lot of things were being chalked up to destiny these days, if you asked her.

"Even out your weight!" Sirius shouted from the ground a three days later. "If you don't, you'll fall!"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Isabella hissed as she tried to even out the broom. "I got it!"

Her broom evened out and she remained as still as possible, twenty feet above the ground and she was amazed she hadn't completely lost it yet and gotten herself, or one of the boys, hurt. She followed James' next instructions, letting herself lay flat against her broom and guiding it forward, slowly picking up speed as she flew around the Potter's backyard.

"Maybe flying isn't so bad," she conceded when she landed, handing her Nimbus 1500 to Sirius as she plopped down into the grass. "It was actually kinda fun. Unpleasant, but fun."

"Not nearly as unpleasant as our encounter with Malfoy," James said darkly. "What was that all about, anyway? You said he tried to kill you."

"He was there the night Voldemort attacked my home," Isabella explained. "He fired a Killing Curse at me and missed, obviously."

Remus frowned. "That doesn't seem likely. Malfoy wouldn't just _miss _if it was his job to kill you. Maybe they were just trying to scare you or something."

"Either way," Isabella shrugged. "My family's gone and they're responsible."

"I guess you have a point," said Remus. "Come on, we have to pack for tomorrow. Back to Hogwarts and everything."

"You'll love Hogwarts, Izzy," Sirius grinned. "Of course, the Professors might take some getting used to, and the Slytherins. But I think you'll be able to handle them. You'll be one of Gryffindor's best!"

"If I'm in Gryffindor," Isabella corrected with a chuckle.

Nevertheless, she couldn't help but hope she would be.

_**A/N: Thanks to Bad Wolf Baybe, Yukira-Kuchiki, bekkarific, inky14esset, bittersweetties, and SinfulSanctuary for reviewing; thanks to bekkarific for adding this story to her favorites; and thanks to Yukira-Kuchiki, LucklessRomance, and bekkarific for adding this story to their Alerts.**_

_**Please review because reviews are better than kisses from Peter! (Traitorous rat!)**_

_**~Cherry**_


	4. Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Three: Hogwarts_

"I really don't want to run through the wall," said Isabella uneasily as she stood facing the pillar between platforms 9 and 10.

"I could push you through," suggested James.

"No thanks," she said stubbornly. "I would rather jump off a moving train."

"I don't advise doing that," Sirius chuckled. "You'd get blood all over the ground."

"Nice to see you're worried about me," she muttered before gripping the handle of her trolley tight and running towards the wall.

Platform 9 ¾ was almost like she had seen in the movies, just not as old as in 1991. The large steam engine train took her by surprise for a moment but she smiled, amazed at what she was experiencing. After all, who would have thought a nobody like her would get to experience something like this? She had only thought things like this possible in her wildest dreams.

"Move along!" James shouted as he shot passed her from the wall.

She smiled and followed him as Sirius, Remus, and Peter emerged onto the platform. They all heaved their trunks and cages onto the train, before stepping on themselves. They hurried along the trains, staying as far away from the Slytherin section of the train as they could get. There was an empty compartment about halfway down that caught their fancy and so, that was where the piled in. It was slightly bigger than most of the others they had passed and as they lifted their trunks onto the overhead spaces, Isabella looked out and caught sight of the clock.

_10:59 a.m._

The warning whistle sounded, a minute later all the doors on the train closed, and it slowly began to move. She took a seat near the window, Remus next to her and Peter next to him while James and Sirius sat across from them. It was quiet for a moment before James stood with a sigh and looked at Remus.

"Time to go, mate," said James. "Meeting."

"Right," Remus agreed when he stood. "Oh, I can't wait to see-"

"See what?" asked James curiously, pausing in his action of opening the compartment.

"He can't wait to see the Head Girl's face when she realizes you're Head Boy," said Isabella without thinking. "Lily Evans is in for the shock of her life."

"How did you know Lily was the Head Girl?" Remus asked calmly, and she froze, noticing the others staring at her. "I never mentioned it to you."

"I - uh - well-" she stammered.

"Come to think of it," added Sirius. "You mentioned that the others wizarding kids only told you about spells and how to do them. Yet you know all about Hogwarts and the Professors who work there. How do you know those things?"

"I -" she took a deep breath. "I can't tell you. Not yet, at least."

Remus frowned. "And why not?"

"I think it may be the reason Voldemort came after me," she ignored Peter's fearful squeak and continued. "If that's true, the less people who know, the better. I promise I'll tell you guys one day."

"Alright," James agreed reluctantly. "Come on, Remus, we need to go or Evans will be pissed at us for being late."

"No," he disagreed as they stepped. "She'll be pissed at _you._"

"So true," Sirius snorted as the door closed behind them. "So you know things you're not supposed to know and Voldy finds it threatening to his big plans, huh? What are you, a Seer?"

"You've asked me that before," she replied with amusement. "And I told you, something like that. Let's just say, certain events that I know about I now have the power to change. That wouldn't work in Voldemort's favor like it would have before I was here. Now that someone knows what he's going to do before he does, he has to be a little more careful, so to speak. Certain events… don't end so well and I hope I can stop them."

"That's a lot of responsibility for a seventeen year old girl," said Peter in a small voice and she let her eyes move to him.

The traitor.

Perhaps that was another thing she could change; she would certainly try to.

"_WHAT!_"

The shout seemed to echo through the train, causing Sirius and Peter to laugh loudly.

"_WHAT DO YOU MEAN DUMBLEDORE MADE YOU HEAD BOY, POTTER?" _a girl's voice shrieked and with a wince, Isabella guessed it to be the infamous Lily Evans. "_I KNOW HE'S OFF HIS BLOODY ROCKER, BUT THIS IS GOING A BIT TOO FAR!"_

"Oh, Evans," Sirius chuckled softly. "She will fall for him one day."

"Yes, she will," Isabella said quietly, with a smile.

"What?" Peter and Sirius looked absolutely gob smacked.

"Well damn," Isabella muttered. "I should _really _be more careful about what I let slip. _Don't _tell James. Otherwise it might not happen."

"Yeah, okay," he agreed reluctantly. "It would be nice to be able to tell; maybe he'll stop whining if we do."

"I don't want to risk," Isabella said sternly. "There are some things in the future that are good and that shouldn't be tampered with. Lily and James becoming a couple is one of those, Sirius, so don't do anything!"

"Okay, okay!" he scowled. "I won't tell James, and neither will Wormtail, right Wormtail?"

"Right, Padfoot," Peter agreed eagerly. "I won't tell Prongs a thing!"

"Good," Isabella said and leaned her head against the window, watching the scenery fly by. She closed her eyes and before she knew it, she had drifted off.

"Izzy, wake up," Remus hissed as he shook her shoulder.

She blinked her eyes open and looked up into his soft amber eyes. "What?" she asked with a yawn. "What did James and Sirius blow up this time?"

"Nothing," he chuckled. "I was just going to tell you that you should go change into your robes now. We're almost to the school."

"Really?" she asked excitedly, shooting up from her seat and reaching for her trunk. She pulled out her long black school robes and slipped them on over her Weird Sisters t-shirt and shorts. "We're almost to Hogwarts?"

"Yes," he answered with a smile. "Excited?"

"Very," she answered truthfully. "I mean, I know Dumbledore told me that I didn't have to do the Sorting and he automatically placed me in Gryffindor because of you guys, but just the thought of being at the school is amazing."

"Yeah, the school can have that effect on people," Sirius added as he looked up from using his wand to throw Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans at the back of James's head while the boy stood in the compartment door, scolding a third year for picking on a first year girl.

"Hey, Head Boy," a snotty voice said. "I think we have a problem here."

"Yeah, what's that Mulciber?" James asked tersely.

"That pathetic Mudblood just took points from Slytherin," Mulciber replied with a smirk. "You're going to give them back?"

"And why would he do that?" Isabella asked rudely as she and the others moved to stand behind James. "He doesn't have to give them back if Lily took them away for you breaking the rules, you know."

"Shut up, you disgusting Mudblood," he snarled. "Lucius told me about you. The girl who claims he attacked her. You have one hell of a nerve."

"Leave her alone," Remus said coldly.

"Or what, Lupin? Are you going to give me detention?" Mulciber mocked with a smirk. "I'm so scared."

"Mulciber! Let's go!" an impatient voice interrupted. "We're almost at the school, let's go grab our trunks."

"Yeah, yeah," Mulciber muttered. "Coming, Zariah."

He sent them all one last disgusted look, his eyes lingering on Isabella, before turning and walking away. The five friends stood there, glaring at his retreating back as he walked down the train until he was out of sight. They turned, each going back to pulling their trunks down so it would be easier for the Professors to transport them into the castle using magic.

"There's the carriages," said Sirius as the group approached them. "They take us to the castle."

Isabella stopped short of the carriage, staring at the skeleton horse at the front as it stomped its hoof on the ground and shook his head restlessly. It wings flapped irritably when it noticed the girl staring at it and it let out an indignant snort.

"Thestrals," she whispered, reaching out her hand and resting it on the horse's nose. "Wow…"

"Pretty strange creatures, aren't they?" asked Remus softly. "The Thestrals, I mean."

"I wouldn't say strange, just misunderstood," Isabella replied strongly. "Like goblins, centaurs, werewolves, giants… They're not dangerous, not really. Not unless we force them to be."

"That's… a different way of viewing it," he mused, a clouded look in his eyes. "Come on, let's get in with the others."

She smiled, climbing into the carriage, Remus following her. They took a seat next to each other while the other three sat across from them.

"Hold that carriage!"

James' face lit up with a grin as he pushed the door back open, showing an exhausted looking redhead who Isabella assumed to be Lily Evan by the way James looked at her. She shot him a look, but it wasn't one of the loathing looks she had been expecting to see, it was one of surprise.

"Come on, Evans," he said with a smile. "We don't want to miss the feast."

"Oh, right," she mumbled, climbing in and sitting on Isabella's right. "Thanks, Potter." She cast Isabella a strange look. "Who are you?"

"Isabella Byrom," Isabella smiled politely.

"Oh!" said Lily. "You're the girl Remus told me about in his letter!"

"Lily," Remus hissed, a faint blush lighting his cheeks.

"It's alright, Remus," Isabella said kindly. "You wanted to tell Lily about the strange girl you and the boys saved. It's completely understandable."

"You're not strange," he argued. "I just told her we helped you."

"Oh, alright," Isabella shifted uncomfortably. "Sorry."

The ride up to Hogwarts was a quiet one. No one spoke after the discussion about Remus writing Lily. It was a strange, uncomfortable silence that no one seemed able to break. When the carriage stopped at the school and they hurried inside to take their seats at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, things became lighter. They were talking to old friends and introducing Isabella to people who seemed nice enough to her.

"Isabella this is Alice," Lily said as she dragged her away from Remus and Sirius. "Alice is one of our roommates. She's dating Frank Longbottom, that boy James introduced you to."

"Oh, so its James now, is it?" Alice asked with amusement. "Not _Potter_?"

Lily's face flushed. "Well, we're Head Boy and Girl; we should at least be on a first name basis."

"Whatever you say, Lily," another voice cut in. "Hello, I'm Marlene McKinnon."

"Isabella Byrom," Isabella replied with amusement.

"Ooh, the Sorting's about to start," Lily said excitedly as the doors opened and McGonagall walked in, a group of first years following behind her.

The hat's song was short and to the point, there were no major warnings like Isabella had been on the look out for. Nothing about evil or an upcoming battle. Just a strange message of a saving grace entering everyone's lives and the usual about what each House represented. Once the students had begun being called up to be Sorted, things seemed to move quickly and as the last student took her seat at the Ravenclaw table, Dumbledore stood with a smile.

"Speeches will come soon, but for now we eat," his eyes twinkled as they swept over the room. "Tuck in."

The food appeared before them and each of the Marauders attacked as if they hadn't seen food in days, making Isabella cringe slightly as Sirius and James began talking with food crammed in their mouths. Peter did not speak, merely shoveled more and more food into his mouth, nodding along to whatever James or Sirius said. Remus sat there, quietly eating, not shoving the food down his throat like his friends while he had a quick conversation with Frank.

"So you're a transfer student?" asked Marlene.

"No," Isabella shook her head. "I just started school late. I've been learning at home."

"But Remus said you're Muggle born," said Lily in confusion.

"I am," Isabella corrected. "But there were some Hogwarts students in my neighborhood and they helped me learn."

"Oh, that makes sense," Marlene nodded with a smile as the food disappeared.

Dumbledore stood once more, that smile still present on his face. "To our new students, welcome, to the old, welcome back! I have a few start of term notices that you should all be made aware of. The Forbidden Forest is, as always, forbidden. No students should enter the woods on the grounds. Those wishing to try-out for their house Quidditch teams should leave their names with their Head of House to be delivered to the team captains. Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to remind you all that magic is not to be used in the corridors between classes. He also has a list of banned items on his office door, including the recently released Fanged Frisbee. Now then, you should all head to your beds, classes begin tomorrow. Off you trot."

They stood and were led by the Gryffindor Prefects, Remus and Frank, to the common room where Remus stepped forward and faced the Fat Lady's portrait, who was eyeing him expectantly.

"The password is _Courage_," he said loudly, so it carried over the crowd to where everyone could hear it.

The Fat Lady nodded and swung open, allowing them all to enter. After saying goodnight to the boys, Isabella went upstairs with the other girls, eager to get to sleep so she could begin her first day of classes.

_He was over the threshold as James came sprinting into the hall. _

"_Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"_

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

_The green light filled the cramped hallway, it lit the pram pushed against the wall, it made the banisters glare like lightning rods, and James Potter fell like a marionette whose strings were cut…_

The scene changed.

_Lily stood in front of the baby crib, arms spread out wide, as if to hide the object behind her. "Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"_

_Voldemort regarded her with distaste. "Stand aside, you silly girl… stand aside, now."_

"_Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead-"_

"_This is my last warning-"_

"_Not Harry! Please… have mercy… have mercy… Not Harry! Not Harry! Please - I'll do anything-"_

"_Stand aside. Stand aside, girl!"_

_She did not move and he raised his wand, eyeing her with cold indifference as the green flash filled that room as well. She fell to the floor, just as James had before her, no longer in the world of the living as Voldemort stepped over to the crib._

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

"NO!" Isabella bolted up in her bed, a cold sweat coating her forehead. She looked around, glad to notice that her shout hadn't made any of her roommates stir. They were probably heavy sleepers.

**Only you, the saving grace, can change the outcome. Destiny is not set in stone…**

_**A/N: Thanks to Bad Wolf Baybe, AkiraTheDarkHuntress, NinjaWizardGleek15, beba78, inky14esset, XxMichyBabyxX, Mercy'sFoundaWayforMe, and DaizeeG for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to NinjaWizardGleek15, lily lupin1, and DaizeeG for adding this story to their favorites list. And thanks to beba78, Christina-Lupin, DaizeeG, lily lupin1, Mercy'sFoundaWayforMe, NinjaWizardGleek15, Rushingriver, and XxMichyBabyxX for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**Please review because reviews are better than a world ruled by Voldemort!**_

_**~Cherry**_


	5. I'm Only One Person

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Four: I'm Only One Person_

Almost immediately following her nightmare, Isabella left the girls dorm and ran down the stairs to common room. She ran out the portrait, ignoring the Fat Lady as the woman shouted at her to come back and go to bed. She ran down the halls, only realized after she had distanced herself from the common room that she had no idea where she was, but she knew where she was going.

Dumbledore's office.

It was obvious he had known about her, even Mrs. Potter had implied it.

_Extenuating circumstances indeed._

She wandered the halls aimlessly, looking for the gargoyles that were posted outside Dumbledore's door. What she wouldn't give to have one of the guys with her to use the map. She sighed and shook her head, turning down another corridor, colliding with something she couldn't see.

"Guys," she hissed as she rubbed her head. "Why couldn't you just freaking move?"

"How'd you know it was us?" asked James as he removed the Invisibility Cloak from Remus, Sirius, and himself. "Or is that another thing you can't tell us?"

"Can't tell you," she said and watched their faces fall slightly. "Look, can you guys help me find Dumbledore's office? I need to talk to him about… something."

"Sure, I can take you," Remus volunteered, turning to his friends. "You guys head back to the common room, I'll come back when Izzy's ready to head back. Make sure she doesn't get lost."

Sirius muttered something, earning an elbow to the gut from a smiling James as he nodded and wrapped the cloak back around them. There was of silence and Remus turned to her, motioning for her to follow him as he led her toward the Grand Staircase.

"The Headmaster's office is located on the first floor," he explained. "Don't worry, after a couple of days you'll be able to find your way around easily enough. Why do you need to see Dumbledore anyway?"

She hesitated. "Remus… What if you knew things were going to happen before they actually did?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if you knew something bad was going to happen and you could stop it," she clarified. "But you're scared to because you know that was an event that was meant to happen. How would you know what you're supposed to change and what you need to leave alone?"

"Well," he seemed to ponder it. "I guess I would have to go with what my heart was telling me. If I knew something bad was going to happen I would try and stop it because if it was really meant to stay the way it was meant to then nothing would really change."

"Really?" she asked. "It's just… What if by stopping it from happening you changed the entire course of the future? What if someone was supposed to die but you stopped that from happening? That would change so many things that were meant to happen in the future."

"Izzy, why are you asking questions like this?" he asked. "Do you know about something that's supposed to happen?"

"I can't tell you that," she said, shaking her head. "It's another one of those 'you'll find out when the time's right' things."

"So you can't tell me or you won't?" he challenged.

"Remus!" she admonished. "You know I _can't. _Merlin only knows how that would change the future!"

"Maybe the future's meant to change," he argued. "Destiny isn't set in stone!"

**Only you, the saving grace, can change the outcome. Destiny is not set in stone…**

"Destiny is not set in stone," she mused. "I seem to be hearing that a lot lately."

"That's because it's not," he said, more gentle than before. "Izzy, you're under a lot of pressure and stress because you're not telling anyone what you know. It will only get worse the longer you keep it bottled up."

"I'm fine!" she shouted. "Just leave it alone, Remus. I'll tell you when I'm ready okay? And it's not like I'm not talking to anyone, I'm about to go talk to Dumbledore!"

He sighed and stopped outside the gargoyles. "Well, here's his office. I'll wait here."

She was still scowling as she looked up at the gargoyles. "What's the password?" she snapped irritably, earning an annoyed look in return.

"Cinnamon Disks," he muttered and the gargoyles jumped apart, revealing the staircase that led up to Dumbledore's office.

She shot him one last look of annoyance before she began climbing up the stairs to the large oak door that had Dumbledore's office behind it. She hesitantly raised her hand and knocked.

"Enter."

She opened the door slowly and looked around. Dumbledore sat behind in his desk in his sleeping robes and was petting his phoenix, Fawkes, as she entered the room. The bird looked up at her with crystal blue eyes, almost matching the ones that belonged to Dumbledore.

"Hello, Miss Byrom," Dumbledore greeted politely. "I've been expecting you."

"Sir," she nodded politely. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Very well," he agreed. "But I'm afraid I can't answer you any better than Mr. Lupin already has."

"Sir?" she asked in confusion.

"He was right, Isabella," Dumbledore explained. "Follow your heart; it will never lead you down the wrong path."

"I'm only one person, I can't handle all this!" Isabella argued. "I'm just a teenage girl! I can barely pass my regular school classes, let alone all these magic lessons when I barely know anything besides what I've read! And now I have to change the future too? I can't handle all of this!"

"Sometimes it helps to have someone you can confide in," Professor Dumbledore suggested with a smile. "Mr. Lupin seemed willing enough."

"I can't tell Remus," she said, shaking her head. "I can't tell him his friends are supposed to die, that one's a traitorous bastard who frames the other and gets him sent to Azkaban. I just… can't."

"You'd be amazed at how good he is at keeping secrets," Dumbledore continued, a twinkle in his eye.

"You mean that no one knows he's a werewolf?" she asked. "That's different! If he didn't keep that a secret a lot of people would demand he be kicked out of the school. This is about his and his friends' futures, their lives! How can I expect him to keep it a secret that Lily and James are supposed to die, leaving their one year old son orphaned and living with the fact that he's the only one who can defeat Voldemort? How can I ask him to keep it a secret that Peter betrays them all and frames Sirius therefore getting Sirius sent to Azkaban for twelve years? How can I ask him to believe I may be able to stop all of those things from happening when he only just met me and really knows nothing about me?"

"I don't believe that will be a problem," Dumbledore said, staring over her shoulder.

She spun, eyes narrowing as she spotted a wide-eyed Remus standing in the open doorway.

This was one of those times she wished his Marauder curiosity hadn't kicked in.

"Izzy, wait!" he shouted as she stormed off in the direction she believed the common room to be. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have spied on your talk with Dumbledore."

"Yes, you shouldn't have," she rounded on him, cheeks flushed red with her anger. "But you did."

"I was curious," he sighed. "I'm a Marauder, what do you expect?"

"Don't pull the Marauder excuse," she yelled. "That doesn't make it okay!"

"Nothing will make it okay, will it?" he asked quietly and it was her turn to sigh,

"Don't tell the others," she said. "_That _will make it okay."

"You can change all those things, keep them from happening, right?" he asked as they resumed walking.

"I'm sure going to try, but like you said," she shrugged. "If it was really meant to stay the way it was meant to then nothing would really change."

He nodded as they approached the Fat Lady's portrait. "Courage."

She looked resiliently at them but opened nonetheless, allowing them to enter. They walked into the common room, noting that it was empty, so the boys must have gone up to bed. They looked at each other briefly before Isabella walked over to her staircase.

"Night Remus," she yawned.

"Night Izzy, and I'm sorry," he said before walking up his own staircase.

"I know," she told herself quietly before walking back upstairs.

She really needed some sleep.

**- X -**

She awoke the next morning to Lily shaking her awake and telling her she needed to get ready if she wanted to be able to have breakfast before class. She got up with a large yawn and went to grab her clothes from her bedside dresser and quickly slipped her robes on over them, grabbing her school bag and heading downstairs for breakfast.

"Hey boys," she greeted hesitantly, plopping down between Sirius and Remus at breakfast the next morning. "Top of the morning to you."

"Don't ever do that again," James laughed.

She cast Remus a look and he sent her a reassuring smile. So he hadn't told the boys what he had heard after all. Maybe she could trust him like Dumbledore had said.

"You're schedule, Miss Byrom," Professor McGonagall said as she handed the slip of parchment to her. "Mr. Lupin, Mr. Black, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Pettigrew. Try not to get any detentions on the first day."

"You got it Minnie," Sirius grin and the Professor frowned at him before walking away.

"Potions first thing with Slughorn, Defense with Rowley, free, lunch, and then Herbology with Sprout," said Remus as he looked over the day's classes.

"Same," all the others chorused.

"Welcome to your seventh year Potions class!" Slughorn greeted joyfully as they all took their seats. "Due to… previous grouping problems I will be assigning your partners."

The Marauders groaned.

"Potter and Evans," Slughorn began and James smiled politely at Lily who had paled slightly, but returned the smile. "Black and Yaxley."

Isabella held back a snort as the two glared at each other. It looked like Slughorn was trying to get one, or both, of them killed.

"Lupin and Byrom."

Isabella and Remus exchanged smiles.

"McKinnon and Pettigrew."

Both teens groaned.

"Longbottom and Smith."

Frank and Alice looked overjoyed.

It took Slughorn five more minutes to pair up everyone before he instructed them to get into their groups and begin brewing the Wiggenweld Potion, a potion that was used by Healers to awaken people from a magically induced sleep.

"Remus, no!" she shouted as he went to add the first Lionfish spin. "You need to add the Moly petals first."

He leaned over to look at the book again. "Oh, sorry."

"Where is your mind today?" she asked. "You never get distracted in class."

"It's here, just… lost in thought is all," he replied as he dropped seven Moly petals into the cauldron. "What's after the Moly petals?"

"Three Lionfish spines and then the Moondew drops, followed by two more Lionfish spines, the sloth brains, and then the last five Lionfish spines," she replied as she stared down at the page. "You're thinking about what you heard last night, aren't you?"

"Yes," he replied. "But don't worry; I'm not going to tell the others. I was just thinking it would help if you told me everything so we could figure out the best ways to change things."

"That would probably be a good idea," Isabella replied as she stared at Sirius and Yaxley. "Sirius - NO!"

"What?" he asked as the Lionfish fell from his hand and into the Potion.

"EVERYONE DUCK!" Remus shouted and the sounds of people hitting the floor were followed by the sound of a cauldron blowing up.

"That's what," Isabella said as people began to stand up again, eyes wide.

"Sorry," Sirius told Professor Slughorn sheepishly. "That would be my bad."

"Idiot," Yaxley muttered.

"Why don't you say that to my face?" Sirius asked, turning to glare at the Slytherin.

Isabella exchanged a look with Remus who rolled his eyes. This was going to be a _long _class.

_**A/N: Thanks to Bad Wolf Baybe, NinjaWizardGleek15, beba78, SinfulSanctuary, lily lupin1, and Bekkarific for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to Calae for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to ponykt for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**Next Chapter: Explanations**_

_**Review because reviews are better than exploding cauldrons!**_

_**~Cherry**_


	6. Explanations I

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Five: Explanations I_

"So are you going to tell me what all you know now?" Remus asked later that day as they sat in the library during their free period.

Isabella sighed and looked up from her Defense essay. "I don't see why not. It's not like we have homework or anything."

He merely stared at her expectantly.

"Okay, fine, I may as well start with my world," she said. "You see, where I come from, magic doesn't exist. At all. There are no wizards or witches or schools for magic or banks run by goblins. The Wizarding World is all imaginary."

"Imaginary?" he repeated.

"That's right," she replied, trying not to smile at his confusion. "In my world, the Wizarding World only exists in books called the Harry Potter series."

"Potter?"

"He's Lily and James's son," she said, noticing the light that came to his eyes. "Yes, they do eventually get together."

"He'd be happy to hear that," said Remus.

"Don't tell him!" she snapped. "You're not even supposed to know. Figuring out what's already changed just by me being here is hard enough, now that you're going to know all the events that happen who knows what things have changed."

"Right, sorry," he muttered. "I forgot, okay?"

"Sorry," she sighed. "Still a little bothered by your 'Marauder's Curiosity'."

"So this world exists in a book series from your world," he prompted.

"That's right," she continued, picking up the story again. "It begins on October 31, 1981. James, Lily, and Harry were all gathered in their living room enjoying a peaceful night at home when the door was blasted open. They had gone into hiding only a few months before with Sirius acting as their fake Secret Keeper, while in truth, their Secret Keeper was really Peter. Voldemort was attacking their home; James ran out to fight him off while Lily took Harry and ran upstairs to the baby's room. The only problem was, James didn't have his wand. Voldemort killed him and went upstairs after Lily and Harry. Lily begged him - actually begged him - not to kill Harry, to kill her instead. Voldemort told her to move aside, not that he would have let her live anyway, but she refused and he killed her before trying to kill Harry. But something went wrong and all Harry ended up with was a scar and Voldemort… Well, he vanished. No one knew where he was, many thought he was dead. Harry Potter became the only person to ever survive the Killing Curse, he was known to every witch and wizard as the Boy-Who-Lived."

"The only person," Remus mused quietly. "It's so unheard of."

Isabella nodded. "Dumbledore had Hagrid go to get Harry and bring him to Surrey, where he would grow up in the care of Lily's sister, Petunia, and her family. Sirius, having gone to check on Peter and found him missing, also went to the Potter's; giving Hagrid the motorcycle he used to get Harry to Surrey before heading after Peter. Peter and Sirius had an argument, Peter framed Sirius for Lily and James's deaths, faked his own death, and transformed into his Animagus form after blowing up the street and ran away. The Aurors caught Sirius and charged him for the murder of Lily and James as well as twelve Muggles."

"Sirius would never-" Remus began angrily

"And he didn't," she cut in, narrowing her eyes at his raised voice. "But no one was there to tell the Aurors that. Only he, Lily, and James knew who the real Secret Keeper was. They never told anyone else, not even Dumbledore - and keep your voice down!"

"Sorry," he muttered again. "Go on."

"Well, Harry spent eleven years with his aunt, uncle and cousin," she continued. "They treated him horribly because he was a wizard, not that they ever told him what he was. He never noticed anything really strange until his cousin's birthday, when they were forced to take him along with them to the zoo. He spoke to one of the snakes in the snake pit, and when Dudley saw and pushed Harry out of the way, the glass vanished and Dudley fell in as the snake escaped. In the days leading up to Harry's own birthday, he began receiving owls from Hogwarts. His Uncle refused to allow him to read the letters, even going as far as to seclude them on an island. Hagrid arrived just after midnight on Harry's birthday to take the boy. Harry still knew nothing about magic or his parents, something that greatly upset Hagrid."

"Hmm," said Remus thoughtfully. "He went to live with Petunia. Poor kid."

"Tell me about it," she smiled. "So Hagrid took Harry to Diagon Alley, bought him all his school things. The only thing bad about the trip was that he met Malfoy's little brat in Madam Malkin's and, I swear, the boy's worse than his father is. After that, Harry went back to the Dursley's. They took him to the station on the first of September, and he met the Weasley family. He and Ron Weasley, Molly's sixth born would become best friends."

Remus smiled. "I've met Molly and Arthur, they're good people."

"They are," Isabella agreed. "They also met Hermione Granger, a rather intelligent Muggle-born. Top of their class, until Harry beat her in Defense. Anyway," she continued, taking another deep breath. "Things started off normally enough. He loved classes and the school, looked up to Dumbledore, was happy to be away from those horrid Muggles that raised him. Then on Halloween night, a troll got into the school. Ron had upset Hermione earlier that day and they decided to sneak away and go find her. She was in the girl's bathroom on the same floor as the Great Hall, and unfortunately, the troll had gone in there. The boys didn't know she was in there and accidentally locked the troll in there with her."

Remus shook his head. "Well, that proves that Harry is James' son. Not thinking before acting."

Isabella smiled. "As the year progresses the three friends set out to solve the mystery of the 3-headed dog that is guarding something in a deserted corridor in the school. The figure out that a very valuable object, the Sorcerer's Stone, is being hidden in the school, although they don't know why. When one of the professor's starts acting as if he's trying to steal it, they quickly take action to circumvent the theft. Things come to a head when they sneak past the vicious, 3-headed dog and go down into the bowels of the school, determined to save the Stone. Ron and Hermione help Harry get through the challenges set forth to stop the thief, and Harry must go on alone to battle the professor. When he finally gets to the last room, however, he's astonished to find someone else entirely. Harry is forced to do battle with the wizard that tried to kill him so many years before, Lord Voldemort. He's able to save the Sorcerer's Stone, although he's almost killed in process, and Dumbledore arrives just in time to save him. The school year ends spectacularly when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are honored for their service to the school, and Harry leaves to go back to the Dursley's feeling as if he's finally found a place where he really belongs."

"One of the teachers was behind it?" Remus asked in astonishment. "Who?"

"Well, they thought it was Snape," Isabella began.

"Snape?" Remus asked incredulously. "Who would be crazy enough to let him work with children?"

"Dumbledore," she answered. "But it wasn't Snape. He was actually trying to protect the stone when he learned that it was the Defense Professor, Quirrell, trying to steal the stone. So, that's everything in the first book."

"Well?" he asked, seeming excited to hear more. "Are you going to tell me about the second one now?"

She glanced at the clock in the corner of the library and shook her head, standing, and grabbing her bag. "Another time. We need to get to Herbology."

He looked at the clock as well and sighed, before standing to gather his own things. "Yeah, you're right."

Life at Hogwarts was… interesting to put it mildly. Isabella was still amazed by the magic, finding it all so overwhelming at times. She loved Hogwarts and she loved the people she had met, the friends she had made. However, there was always that lingering in the back of her mind that she did not belong, that this wasn't her world and never would be no matter how much she tried to make it so. She shook off that thought, knowing she would do all she could to stay there.

She had tried out for the Quidditch team that Saturday, and made the team as Seeker. James and Sirius were ecstatic that their teaching had paid off. She loved the thrill that came form chasing down the Snitch when it went into a dive, the great feeling of pride when she closed her hand around the small golden flying ball.

"So, will you tell me now?" Remus asked that Monday. "The story from the second book I mean."

Isabella sighed, finishing the last sentence on her Defense essay. She had been hoping he would forget what she had told him a week ago, but she should have known better. "Okay."

Remus smiled.

"The second book is called the Chamber of Secrets," she began. "It's been another long summer for Harry and he can't wait to go back to Hogwarts. He's surprised when, on his birthday, a strange creature named Dobby shows up with dire warnings for Harry: He must not return to Hogwarts!"

"Why not?" asked Remus curiously.

"I'll get to that," she said. "Don't interrupt, Remus, it's rude. When Harry flat out refuses to stay home Dobby lands him in heaps of trouble with the Dursley's, who lock Harry up in his room and refuse to let him out. Before Harry can sink too far into despair, however, Ron and his two brothers come to his rescue in a flying car and spirit him back to Ron's house, where Harry is thrilled to spend the remainder of the summer. Thus starts an eventful second year for Harry. Between having to cope with more homework than ever, a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who is vain and convinced Harry is too, and a mysterious voice he keeps hearing in the walls, Harry's days are nothing if not interesting."

"A voice?"

"REMUS!"

"Sorry, sorry," he muttered, blushing slightly. "Continue."

"As the school year progresses, however, the mysterious voice Harry keeps hearing is getting more and more menacing, and soon vicious attacks start happening on the students of Hogwarts. When Harry discovers, quite by accident, that he is a Parselmouth and can speak to snakes, he's quickly singled out as Slytherin's Heir, the person who, according to legend, is opening the mysterious "Chamber of Secrets" and letting out the monster," she continued, watching carefully in case he tried to interrupt again. "Of course Harry has no idea who is attacking the students, but he quickly resolves to find out who is responsible. He, Ron, and Hermione come up with an elaborate plan to disguise themselves as Slytherin students so they can question Draco Malfoy, whom they believe IS the one setting the monster loose in the school. The plan goes perfectly, but they're disappointed when they find out from Draco that he is not the one they're looking for."

She paused and he took this as her giving him permission to speak. "So they thought it was Malfoy's brat?"

"That's right," Isabella nodded. "But it wasn't. The quest gets personal when Hermione is attacked and Petrified by the monster. Ron and Harry are devastated, and are left on their own to uncover the true identity of the person responsible. Events come to a head when Ron's sister, Ginny, is kidnapped and taken down into the Chamber, and they discover an important clue that Hermione left for them. They quickly head down into the Chamber of Secrets to rescue Ginny. Harry and Ron are separated once they're down there and Harry is left to pursue the monster on his own. He quickly finds Ginny, and thanks to some mysterious help from Dumbledore and his phoenix Harry is able to destroy Slytherin's Heir, whom he's amazed to find out is a younger version of Lord Voldemort. Voldemort was possessing Ginny through an enchanted diary and was using her to set the monster loose on the students. Harry and Ron are both hailed as hero's when they make it back out with Ginny, and Harry can't imagine a finer end to such an eventful year when Hermione and the rest of the victims are healed and they win Gryffindor loads of House Points."

"So that's all that happens in the second book?" asked Remus.

"Yes," she replied.

He shook his head. "Those kids get into more trouble than the Marauders!"

"Only difference is that they don't get caught," she grinned. "At least, not as much as you guys."

"Hey guys," said Sirius as he, James, and Peter entered the library after doing Merlin knows what. "What were the two of you being so secretive about when we walked in?"

Remus and Isabella exchanged looks before saying in unison. "Nothing important."

_Nothing important my ass, _Isabella thought as Sirius just shrugged it off and began copying their homework onto his own.

_**A/N: Thanks to NinjaWizardGleek15, Bad Wolf Baybe, DaizeeG, SinfulSanctuary, beba78, and bekkarific for reviewing. Thanks to hedwigs mail, ILoveReadingAndWriting, and JazzyLittleMonster for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to ILoveReadingAndWriting, JazzyLittleMonster, and largetunax3 for adding this story to their alerts list.**_

_**Review because reviews are better than secrets!**_

_**~Cherry**_


	7. Full Moon

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Six: Full Moon _

There were about two things that Isabella was now thinking as she ran through the trees of the Forbidden Forest. One: She was going to strangle John Sater and the group of third years that were the entire reason she was outside in the first pace and Two: she should have known better than to go outside on the night of the full moon. The boys would never let her hear the end of it, that much was certain and Remus would probably never trust her again.

**- X -**

"_And by the end of the third book, Sirius had gone into hiding, all the students at Hogwarts knew you're a werewolf, you resigned from your post as Defense teacher, and Harry goes home to spend another miserable summer with the Dursleys." Isabella finished with a small smile as Remus remained silent. "See? I knew you could sit through a whole story without interrupting me once!"_

_Remus just stared at her and she finally noticed the bags under his eyes._

"_Did you get _any _sleep last night?" she asked with concern and he nodded. "Then what - oh!" She smacked her palm against her forehead. "I totally forgot that tonight's the first - you know - of the school year."_

_Remus cleared his throat to speak. "Promise you'll stay inside?"_

"_For Merlin's sake, Remus," she sighed. "For the hundredth time, I promise to stay inside tonight."_

_**Normally, Isabella would never break a promise; especially not one that was so important. However, fate has a funny sense of humor.**_

"_Come on, Sater, do it," one of the other Gryffindor seventh years urged his friend. "Do it!"_

_Isabella turned her head, noting that John Sater was eyeing a group of third years with an evil glint to his eyes as his friends, Kenneth Hale, Marcus Southers, and Jeffery Nettles, urged him on._

"_Yeah, come on, John," said Marcus Southers. "Do it! They're just a bunch of third years! Filch'll probably catch them before they even get close to Hagrid's let alone the forest."_

**- X -**

John Sater had dared a group of third years to go into the Forbidden Forest and bring back proof that Acromantulas actually lived there. Even though Isabella knew this to be true, there wasn't much she could say to the third years to stop them as they walked out of the common room at such a late hour. She hurried up the stairs of the boys' dorm and into the Marauders room, rummaging around in James's trunk before pulling out a piece of parchment along with his Invisibility Cloak.

"Maybe I should leave the Cloak," she muttered, placing it back it back into the trunk. "Not like James won't be angry enough with me using the Map without permission."

Once she had gone back downstairs and out the portrait hole, Isabella pulled her wand from the back pocket of her jeans and tapped it against the map.

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good," she whispered before looking at her wand. "_Lumos."_

_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

_Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief Makers_

_Are Proud to Present…_

_THE MARAUDERS MAP._

"Filch is in the library… with Pince," she shuddered. "Gross. Slughorn's in his classroom… Aha! There they are, right near the school exit that leads down to Hagrid's hut."

She held her wand out in front of her, lighting the way as she carefully and quietly made her way through the corridors. The group of kids had vanished from the Map five minutes before and had probably gotten a good ways into the forest by the time she was running down the hill towards it.

A howl shattered the eerie silence as she ran through the front line of trees. She swallowed thickly but continued on her way, slipping the map into the pocket of her jacket now that she couldn't use it. The wand's light was dim compared to the vast darkness surrounding her as she made her way deeper into the forest. The full moon didn't even offer enough light as she nearly tripped over a fallen branch as she went deeper into the forest, searching for the third years and calling out their names.

"Cooper! Thomas! Lynk!" she shouted. "Are you three out here? You need to go back to the common room!"

No answer.

"Come on, boys! Forget Sater's stupid dare and go back!"

Still no answer.

The howl sounded again, closer this time. She froze, knowing that thanks to the Wolfsbane Potion, Remus was unlikely to attack her, but also knowing that he and the others wouldn't be to happy to see her there. She took refuge behind a large tree, looking out from behind it for any sign of her friends.

The howls were getting further away again and she nearly sighed in relief before the cracking of a branch caused her to spin around and come face to face with a large stag that snorted loudly at her.

She shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, hi?"

The stag's eyes narrowed, the same shade of hazel as her own as they pierced her gaze.

"I know, I know," she sighed. "I promised but I didn't keep it. Sorry, James."

He snorted again.

"Let me guess; it's Remus I should be apologizing too?"

He kneaded the ground with his hoof, letting out another snort.

"Will you just change back and lecture me already?" she muttered irritably.

"Who are you talking to?"

She spun around again to come face to face with a slightly amused Sirius and a frustrated looking James. "How long have you two been there?"

"Long enough," Sirius replied with a smirk.

"So you… that wasn't James?" she asked, looking back and forth between the two.

"I wish James was that quiet when transformed," Sirius joked before his eyes hardened. "You're not supposed to be out here, Izzy."

She sighed. "I know, Sirius, but Sater was being an idiot and dared a bunch of third years to come out here and find proof that Acromantulas live here. They did, and I knew it was dangerous, but someone had to come after them."

"We already sent them back," James muttered angrily. "As soon as they saw the Head Boy stalking toward them, they took off."

"Way to abuse the power," she said lightly, but his frown only deepened. "I guess now's a bad time to mention I borrowed the Map?"

"What?" James snapped.

Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "Look, just go back to the castle, Izzy. We need to get back to Moony."

"Okay," she said quietly, watching as the two morphed back into their animal forms and trotted off together.

**- X -**

Isabella walked down to breakfast the next morning, feeling exhausted from the previous night's trek. She entered the Great Hall and was walking toward her seat when she notice Remus shot her a glare. The seat she usually occupied between him and Sirius had been used for their school bags. She knew a look of hurt flashed across her face, but she quickly masked it and sat down at the end of the table, furthest away from the Marauders.

They would come to her in their own time.

She didn't even look up as Lily and her other roommates entered the Great Hall, taking note that she wasn't sitting at her usual spot, and deciding to sit with her instead of where they usually sat.

"What's wrong, Isabella?" Lily asked gently, green eyes burning with concern. "The boys were in a right mood in the common room before they left."

"I sorta broke a promise to them and they're a little angry," she muttered, picking at her food. "I didn't mean to though."

"What was the promise?" Alice asked curiously.

Isabella made eye contact with Lily, one of the only other people who knew Remus's secret. "I can't say, sorry, Alice."

Understanding came to Lily's eyes while Alice looked slightly put out.

"All right," Alice sighed. "I just they forgive you soon. All five of you look so depressed."

"Yeah," she whispered in agreement. "Depressed."

First class of the day was Ancient Runes, a class she had with Remus. He sat in his seat next to her, ignoring her the entire class period and not responding when she asked him a question pertaining to the work. She knew he had a reason to be mad, but it still hurt. After Runes was over, she hurried from the room, letting her hair fall to curtain her face as she all but ran to the library to do her Ancient Runes essay during her free period. She had Divination after her free period with Sirius and James, receiving the same treatment from them that she had received from Remus. She sat with Lily and the others again at lunch, relieved to have at least some people willing to talk to her. Lunch passed peacefully and she spent the rest of the day lounging in the dorm room until it came time to head to Astronomy later that night.

A class she had with all four Marauders.

Professor Sinistra had only begun teaching at Hogwarts that year, but she had already showed the Marauders that she was not one to put up with their childish antics. Having given all t of them a week of detention during the very first class three weeks before. The boys had moved, leaving her sitting alone while James sat with Lily (to Isabella's astonishment), Sirius and Remus sat together, and Peter sat with Marlene, who's regular partner, Alice, was now with Frank (no surprise to Isabella there).

"Tonight, we will begin working on out group projects that will be due right before Christmas holiday," Professor Sinistra instructed. "Two in a group and you have well over two months to do and complete the project, which is to create your own galaxy with its own history and plants. I expect the report to be detailed, lest you fail for this term. It counts for ¾ of your final grade at the end of the year."

"He's going to be _my _partner!" Sirius and James both shouted at the same time, making Remus sigh and place two fingers against his temples, rubbing them soothingly.

"No way, I need to pass this," Peter argued as he joined in on the argument from his seat next to Marlene. "Remus is my partner!"

"Wormtail, my mum will kill me if I fail Astronomy again!" James pleaded.

"So?" Peter asked. "You've never cared before."

Isabella felt a smile pull at her lips as she watched the four boys fondly. Even a day spent away from her friends seemed like too long to her. She hoped things would be forgiven soon.

"I will be assigning the partners," Sinistra continued and the three boys stopped bickering while Remus looked extremely pleased and relieved. "Black you're with Longbottom. Evans with McKinnon. Pettigrew with Lupin."

"YES!" Peter cheered.

"NO!" Remus groaned.

Isabella bit back a giggle, knowing Remus didn't really mind that he was partners with Peter, just that Peter was unlikely to do any of the work on the project.

"Potter with Byrom."

James shot her a glare and she only stared back at him calmly.

This was _not _going to go well.

_**A/N: Thanks to Bad Wolf Baybe, .Uchiha., ILoveReadingAndWriting, largetunax3, NinjaWizardGleek15, beba78, Perminately Lost In Thought, and butterflyangel3 for reviewing. Thanks to buttonsXD, ColdMartini, .Uchiha., and Shadowsammy for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to Allycat817, butterflyangel3, .Imagination, Isle of Capri, LadyStardustNoir, LAW1892, Perminately Lost In Thought, .Uchiha., and Tiryn for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**Review because reviews are better than having the Marauders angry with you!**_

_**P.S.: Who ever can tell me what movie character said this quote, will get a free preview of the next chapter! 'Yes, well forgive me for not leaping for joy. Bad back, you know."**_

_**~Cherry.**_


	8. Slytherins Descend

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Seven: Slytherins Descend_

"Okay, so if you could come up with the planets, then I could come up with the galaxy and the histories," Isabella suggested quietly as Astronomy class ended.

"Whatever," James replied flatly, swinging his bag over his shoulder.

"James," she grabbed his arm as he headed for the door and he turned his narrow gaze on her. "You can be pissed all you want, but stop acting like an ass for a couple of weeks so we can actually pass, okay?"

"Sure, Isabella, whatever," he said again, yanking his arm away and joining the boys at the door. "C'mon guys, lets go."

She turned back to her desk, shoving her Astronomy book in her bag angrily. She wasn't angry with the boys, she deserved their distrust and anger, but she was angry with herself for being stupid enough to go outside. However, she knew no one else would have risked their necks for the third years, but someone had too, and it had been her.

Her hair fell, covering her face as she made her way into the common room, ignoring the glares that followed her up the stairs and entered her room, careful not to disturb the other girls who had already collapsed on their beds as she gather her pajamas and went into the bathroom for a quick shower before losing herself in her dreams.

The next day was no better. James had caught her in the common room and said they could work in the library during free period because they sooner the finished, the quicker he could tell her about the next Quidditch strategy for the upcoming practice. They had agreed on Arcica as the name for the galaxy that had five planets in the solar system: Amalum, Anteos, Ibias, Salopas, and Ugon.

"Okay, practice is Friday after classes, we end an hour before dinner," James said as he grabbed his stuff. "Don't be late or you're out, got it?"

She sighed. "Yeah, James, I got it."

He looked back at her briefly and caught the flash of sadness before it disappeared. It was painfully obvious she was not the only one suffering in the lost friendships; all the Marauders were as well. He shook it off and quickly walked out the library, heading back to the common room with the left over half hour until next class started. She sat there, her head in her hands as she struggled with the beginning of the galaxy's history. James had done his part on the project and the rest was up to her.

"Well, how the mighty have fallen."

Her head snapped up, eyes narrowing on the band of Slytherins. "Get a life, you stupid ape."

"Careful what you say, Mudblood."

"Oh, forgive me, Mulciber, I worded that wrong," she corrected. "An ape is smarter _and _has more of a life than you."

"Why you -"

"Oh, don't even get me started on you, Yaxley."

"Izzy!"

She turned her head to the library door, where Lily and Marlene stood, glaring at the gathered group of Slytherins.

"Yeah, Lily?"

"Time for Potions," Marlene replied. "C'mon!"

"All right," Isabella replied, grabbing her bag and shoving passed the Slytherins, bumping shoulders roughly with Sirius' younger brother Regulus, who glared at her.

"What the hell was that?" Marlene asked as they exited the library.

"I'm alone for five minutes and then the snakes descend," Isabella muttered. "I honestly have no idea. James had only left about twenty-five minutes before and then those buffoons show up obviously expecting a fight, and getting insults instead."

"We heard," Lily smiled. "As Head Girl, I cannot condone such arguing, but as your friend, I say that was awesome!"

Isabella allowed herself to laugh as they entered the classroom. "I thought it was awesome too, you should have seen their faces!"

"Enough chit-chatting ladies," Slughorn interrupted. "Get to your stations and begin working on the Blemish Blitzer."

"Yes, sir," the three girls grumbled, walking over to their respectful partners.

"I've already got the ingredients," Remus said dully as she placed her bag on the floor and took her seat. "You follow the instructions."

"Okay," she said softly, setting her Potions book on the desk and opening it to the correct page. "Add the Lionfish spine first, followed by the moly leaves. Then you need to add four drops of Salamander Blood, and put in three leaves from the Alihotsy plant, and -"

Someone shoved her roughly from behind and caused her to stumble forward, dropping the book into the cauldron. She noticed Yaxley continue to walk by as if it were nothing and she nearly lunged for him, but Remus caught her around the waist, holding her back. A wise move on his part.

"Easy, Izzy," Remus whispered as she struggled in his grip. "Let it go."

She relaxed slightly and he removed his arms from her waist as she carefully retrieved the book from the cauldron, angered that it was now ruined and she would have to buy a new one. From the corner of her eye, she saw James trip Yaxley and Sirius move to the side as the boy fell and whacked his head on the cauldron, and she couldn't help but smirk when the boys sent Remus a thumbs up.

"Very nice," she muttered, shaking the potion off her book. "Just bloody great, now I need to buy a new book."

"You could borrow mine," Remus replied, pulling it from his bag. "If you ever need it outside of class, just ask."

"Okay," she said quietly, taking the book from him and opening it to the page they were supposed to be on. "The next ingredient is sloth brains. No, Remus, the sloth brains go in first and then you add the Moondew drops. Yes, I'm sure that's right, it's what the book says."

"How'd you know I was going to ask that?" he questioned as he rearranged the ingredients to match her instructions.

"Because you're Remus," she simplified. "And you always ask that."

"I do, huh?" he chuckled in amusement before catching a look from James that made him clear his throat. "Let's get back to work."

She sighed, sending a sad look at James who glared back at her.

Things had started to get better.

**- X -**

"You call that a pass? My grandmother can throw better!" a Slytherin jeered as the chasers tossed the ball around the pitch.

Isabella halted on broom, slightly winded by the fact one of the Bludgers had hit her only a few moments before in the gut, because Jones hadn't made it in time to stop it. She got the feeling it was an accident because Sirius appeared really sorry and he hadn't known she was following the Snitch right where the Bludger had gone. Looking around for any sign of the small golden ball she let her eyes wander to the stands where the Slytherin Quidditch team sat, watching with narrowed eyes and accusatory glances.

"Get back to work, Byrom!" James shouted as he flew by.

"Okay, okay," she muttered, turning her eyes back to scan the pitch. "Aha!"

She shot off like a rocket toward the goal posts where the Gryffindor Keeper, John Sater himself, was watching the Chaser fly toward him. His eyes met hers and the Snitch flew at least five feet above where he floated in the middle hoop. She veered upward as the Snitch began to move in an attempt to get away and reached out her hand.

"IZZY!"

She pulled back, started, and a spell flew by where her hand had been only moments before and the Snitch was gone once again. She spun her broom around toward the stands where the Slytherins were high fiving each other and laughing, her eyes narrowed on them.

"You okay?" James asked with concern as he flew up next to her.

"I'm fine, but when I get my hands on them, they won't be," she growled, looking around the pitch again. "Where'd the damn Snitch go?"

"No idea," James said with a shake of his head. "Go back to locker rooms, Isabella, practice is over."

He signaled the rest of the team and they all landed, grumbling about the attack on their Seeker and slowly made their way to the changing rooms.

_Wait a second, _she thought as she paused and glanced back over her shoulder. _That wasn't James or Sirius who shouted at me back there. It was Remus. _Her eyes scanned the stands surrounding the pitch but there was no sign of her sandy haired friend. _I'll thank him later in the common room, I guess._

However, when the team arrived back in the common room, it was empty, as students had already left for dinner. She went into her room to grab a quick shower and then hurried down for dinner, realizing she was already ten minutes later and she was starving.

She hurried down and took her seat with Lily and Marlene, noting that Alice was sitting down with Frank and some of his friends for dinner that night. She smiled when she saw their entwined hands and was glad that the two of them were happy together. She looked toward where the Marauders sat and caught Remus eye.

"Thank you," she mouthed and he allowed a small smile as he nodded. She knew things weren't forgiven, not even close, but at least now they were on the right path. Then she caught James' eye and the boy did not glare at her for once, merely nodded politely.

That was one friendship that would take a while to repair, even though she didn't quite know why he was the angry one. Either because she could have really hurt Remus's feelings or because she borrowed the Map, whichever it was she would make it up to all of them.

Peter hadn't really been rude to her, just ignored her and followed the others example in not talking to her.

In addition, Sirius, he had ignored her yes, but he had seemed to be the more understanding one in the whole thing, a role that had usually belonged to Remus. But then again, it wasn't Sirius whose trust had been betrayed, it was Remus's.

"Izzy," Marlene said and the girl looked up, noticing that the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, Mulciber and his goons Yaxley and Rosier were approaching.

"Byrom, you'd better watch yourself," he warned quietly, ignoring the various glares from many of the seated Gryffindors.

"Or what, Mulciber? Gonna shoot another curse at me?"

His eyes narrowed on her and leaned in toward her, until his mouth was next to her ear. "Curse? I have no idea what you're talking about, Byrom. I was merely going to warn you that you're not the only one who knows your secret and you'd better watch out because knowing those things will get you in a lot of trouble."

She jerked back as if she'd been burned and looked at him with wide-eyes.

_Death Eater._

She should have known.

Remus caught her eye again and she shook her head and stood, leaving her food half finished as she left the Great Hall, the curious stares and smug looks following her as she made her way out the open doors. She took the steps ups the staircase two at a time, hurrying back to the common room and up to her room where she collapsed on her bed and pulled the curtains tightly around it.

Now the Death Eaters in the school probably knew about her and she knew that they were probably keeping Voldemort informed.

That was _not _good.

_**A/N: Thanks to Isle of Capri, justawriter33, Yukira-Kuchiki, Bad Wolf Baybe, .Uchiha., NinjaWizardGleek15, Allycat817, ILoveReadingAndWriting, and Red red red ribbon for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to meadowgirl12345 and justawriter33 for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to Blade Fett, DWgeek2010, Isle of Capri, meadowgirl12345, and Neatfreak47 for adding this story to their alert list.**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was said by Scar from the Lion King! Everyone who got it correct was sent a preview of this chapter a little while ago.**_

_**The quote for everyone to guess this chapter is from another movie this time.**_

"_**Hey, man, you're ugly! And you're uglier than him! And you're Ugly, Part Three! Hey, you're Revenge of the Ugly!"**_

_**All you have to do is name the movie it's from and the character who said it to receive a preview of the next chapter.**_

_**Review because reviews are better than threats from the Slytherins!**_

_**~Cherry.**_


	9. Slytherin vs Gryffindor

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Eight: Slytherin vs. Gryffindor_

Isabella kept to herself a lot the next two weeks, making it a point to avoid the dungeons when she wasn't down there for class and staying clear of the Slytherins. Lily and the others gave her space, knowing she needed time to think about things.

Remus had approached her the day after, wanting the story about the fourth book, surprising her that he had come to her at all after the full moon incident.

"_Well, it starts with the Weasleys inviting Harry to the Quidditch World Cup, giving him a chance to leave the Dursleys early and see a game most would kill to see," she began. "The game is intense, but not just because of the stellar players and non-stop action. Death Eaters, Voldemort's servants, make and appearance and the Wizarding World is shocked when Voldemort's sign is shot into the air after the game."_

"_What I wouldn't give to see the Quidditch World Cup," Remus mused absentmindedly. _

"_Remus, pay attention!"_

"_Sorry," he muttered sheepishly._

"_You're impossible to tell a story to," she smiled._

"_It's because I'm a -"_

"_Marauder," she finished. "I've heard that excuse before. Anyway, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione finally make it back to Hogwarts a few weeks later, they're shocked to find that the school will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament that year. It's a competition between the three wizarding schools of Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons. A champion is chosen for each school and competes in very difficult challenges that test their skill and daring."_

"_Perfect for Gryffindors," Remus commented with a grin. "Tell me a Gryffindor was chosen."_

"_A Hufflepuff, actually," she said and rolled her eyes at his Gryffindor pride when his smile fell. "When the other schools arrive in October, students begin putting their names in the Goblet in order to be chosen as School Champion. Harry is shocked when, in spite of his inability to compete because of his age, he's chosen as the fourth School Champion. What's even worse is that Ron doesn't believe that Harry didn't out his name in the Goblet. They get into a huge fight, and Ron stops talking to Harry. The rest of Hogwarts is also incensed that Harry is 'looking for more fame', and only Hermione believes him."_

"_Normally, I wouldn't judge, but that's crazy," Remus sighed in annoyance. "Get more fame by entering a competition you could die in. Makes perfect sense."_

"_Actually, it does if you think about it," Isabella corrected, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "The first task is getting a gold egg -"_

"_Easy!" Remus scoffed._

"_That's being guarded by a dragon."_

"_Not so easy."_

"_The task goes great for Harry, and it convinces Ron that Harry was telling the truth all along, and they become friends again. As the school year progresses, Harry is best with trouble after trouble. Snooping journalist, Rita Skeeter, continues to publish gossipy articles about Harry that alienates him from the rest of the school, he's turned down by his crush when he asked her to the Yule Ball, and in the days leading up to the second task, he almost doesn't find a way to accomplish what he has to do. Saved at the last minute, however, Harry again gets almost full marks and is tied for first place. Sirius returns to keep and eye on Harry, as well as the mysterious happenings that keep taking place at Hogwarts. There is someone at the school who wants Harry dead, but no one knows who it is."_

"_Karkaroff," Remus said immediately. "It seems so _obvious_."_

"_But it isn't Karkaroff, Rem," Isabella frowned. "Even thought that's what I thought when reading the book."_

"_Then who?"_

"_Listen and you'll find out," she said. "During the final task, Harry and Cedric both tie for first place, but as soon as they grasp the Cup, they're jerked to a creepy graveyard where Cedric is killed and Harry tied up by Wormtail. He witnesses Voldemort's return to power, and barely makes it back to Hogwarts alive, clutching Cedric's body. When he gets back, he discovers that Professor moody was the traitor all along. He's secretly Barty Crouch Jr., a Death Eater, who risked everything to kidnap Harry for Lord Voldemort. Harry tells Dumbledore what happened with Voldemort, and although Fudge doesn't believe him, Dumbledore is able to take steps to mobilize against Voldemort."_

"_How in the name of Merlin's baggy shorts did Barty get the best over Alastor Moody?" asked Remus and all she could do was shrug._

"_Beats me."_

"Izzy! WAKE UP!"

She groaned, rolling over in the bed. Grabbing the covers, she pulling it up and over her head to block out the boys' shouting. It was too early to get up, especially on a Saturday. The shouting did not stop, however, and she slowly poked her head out from under the covers, only to discover her roommates were gone.

"What the -?" she let her eyes travel to the calendar Marlene had pinned up in the room. "Oh no! The game!"

She jumped up from the bed and ran over to her dresser, pulling out a pair of scarlet red shorts and a scarlet sports bra along with a dark gray t-shit to wear under her Quidditch robes. After changing clothes, she grabbed her brush, running it through her hair to get rid of the tangles and pulled it up into a ponytail. Looking around the room to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything, she ran out, closing the door behind her as she hurried down the stairs.

"Finally!" James snapped as she appeared.

"James," Isabella growled through clenched teeth. "PMS some other time. Right now, we need to focus on kicking Slytherin ass."

He rolled his eyes, muttering unbecoming phrases under his breath as he led the others out of the common room. Isabella let her fists clench and she shot daggers at the back of his head during the entire walk to the changing rooms. Sirius merely huffed in annoyance and ignored the two of them; he figured they'd work it out with time.

If they didn't kill each other first.

"Welcome to the match, Slytherin vs. Gryffindor!" Marlene commented, a smile on her face.

"Captains, shake hands," Madam Hooch instructed and James and Mulciber did so, looking disgusted.

"AND THEIR OFF!" shouted Marlene as the players kicked off. "James Potter, Gryffindor Captain, takes the Quaffle right out from under Mulciber's ugly nose - Sorry, Professor - I mean, right out from under the amazing Slytherin Captain's nose."

Isabella rolled her eyes and flew above the other players, she knew Marlene's commentary would distract her and the sooner she found the Snitch the sooner James would be in a better mood and the sooner she'd be willing to talk to him without them snapping at each other. Her eyes scanned the pitch for any sign of the gold flicker, but there was none. She could see the Slytherin Seeker following her lead, looking for the Snitch. She saw him dive and immediately her eyes shot down to where he was heading.

Nothing was there.

She shook her head as he pulled up from the Feint, eyeing her with annoyance.

"And the Slytherin Seeker, Marcus Sweet, tries to fool Byrom with a Wronski Feint, but Byrom's didn't buy it!" Marlene called over the noise the crowd generated when Gryffindor Chaser, Erik Files, scored. "Gryffindor's Seeker has a good head on her shoulders and plenty of brains to boot. She's not one to be easily tricked, Slytherin!"

"Good job, Iz!" Sirius shouted as he knocked a Bludger at one of the opposing Chasers.

"Thanks!" she called back, ducking to avoid the second Bludger. "Damn Bludgers."

She flew a little higher and looked around, eyes narrowed. There was still no sign of the Snitch. Not near either of the goals, not near any of the stands, not out in the open. It was as if it had vanished.

"Iz, duck!"

She dived down quickly and another Bludger flew over her head as Slytherin scored. The match was now ten-ten. A tie and she wasn't very happy with being tied. She lifted her head and began to fly around the pitch seeing as looking from one place wasn't helping any. Bludgers flew back and forth across the pitch and Chasers tossed the Quaffle to and from each other, expertly keeping it from the other team.

"And it's Potter with the Quaffle as he makes his way down the pitch. Slytherin Keeper, James Yaxley dives for the save but misses! Twenty-ten for Gryffindor!" Marlene announced and the game carried on. "Mulciber with the Quaffle - Ouch - Bludger strikes Mulciber in the shoulder courtesy of Gryffindor Beater, Sirius Black. Nice shot, Sirius! Off course I'm not biased, Professor, it was a good shot!"

The score continued to climb on both sides and within the hour it was tied once again 180 to 180. Isabella and Marcus had both been searching unsuccessfully and it was clear that both James and Mulciber were getting fed up with their Seekers. It amazed her that James had made any snappy comment. She froze for a split second and the took off toward the other end of the pitch and soon, Marcus was right next to her.

"And Byrom spots the Snitch!" Marlene shouted, drawing the crowd's attention to the Seekers. "Sweet follows and pulls to her side; they're neck in neck in a race toward the Snitch! Who will get there first?"

_I will, _Isabella thought as she flattened herself on the broom to gain a burst of speed. Marcus once again followed her lead and they stuck out their arms, each looking for that extra bit that was all either of them needed to get the Snitch. It all seemed to happen at once.

A Bludger hit the back of Sweet's broom and sent him reeling.

The Slytherin Chaser scored three more times.

Isabella reached out her arm and clamped it shut around the Snitch.

Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw exploded into cheers.

Isabella turned on her broom, coming to a halt and looked down at the Snitch in her hand with a triumphant smile.

A scream went up from the Gryffindor stands.

"IZZY! MOVE!

She looked up in confusion, but there was nothing in front of her.

Something struck the side of her head and she felt herself falling.

And falling.

And falling….

_**A/N: Thanks to Saya. Hikari. Uchiha., InkShaper, Bad Wolf Baybe, NinjaWizardGleek15, DaizeeG, and justawriter33 for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to Mystical Beings for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**Another update already! Even though I just updated yesterday. :D**_

_**Spring Break is a WONDERFUL thing when you're an author.**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was said by Tito from Oliver and Company! I absolutely love that freaking movie.**_

_**The quote this time around is from a TV show. Everyone who can tell me what show and which character said it gets a preview of the next chapter! (I know someone who could guess this one no problem.) *Laughs***_

"_**George is not a sexy name. George is like what you name your teddy bear, not the name you wanna scream out during climax."**_

_**Review because reviews are better than falling off a broom when over twenty feet from the ground!**_

_**~Cherry.**_


	10. Things Only You Can Change

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Nine: Things Only You Can Change_

The crowd was frozen as Isabella fell from her broom as a result of a Bludger to the side of the head. Her broom, which had been spiraling toward the ground, was saved by John Sater, the Gryffindor Keeper while James and Sirius rushed to catch their falling friend.

Remus, Peter, and Isabella's roommate hurried down the stands toward the pitch as James managed to catch Isabella and lower her safely to the ground. The blood was leaking from her cracked skull and Sirius hit the ground running, yelling at Mulciber, who had taken the bat from one of his Beaters and whacked the Bludger toward her. The Slytherin stood there, a smug expression on his face while Madam Hooch came over to reprimand both Mulciber and Sirius. Even though Sirius shouldn't have been getting in trouble.

"Is she okay?" Lily asked as they reached James, kneeling down at Isabella's side.

"I don't think so," James replied.

Remus looked down at his friend, noting how pale she looked. "Her color's horrible."

"Move!" Madam Pomfrey barked as she approached with a magical stretcher. "Give her some space!"

**- X -**

She was surrounded by complete darkness. It was as if she was suspended in space. There was no light; no anything.

"Isabella."

She turned, shocked to see the Headmaster smiling at her with twinkling blue eyes.

"Professor Dumbledore," she whispered. "What are you doing here? Where are we?"

His smile softened slightly. "We are here because it's time you learn the extent of the power you hold."

She blinked in confusion. "Sir?"

"You are a smart girl, Isabella," he began. "So smart, in fact, that you were chosen to come to this world. Albeit, later than intended. I had hoped you would arrive during the Marauders first year, but that was not to be so."

"I'm afraid I still don't understand, Professor."

"There are things only you can change, Isabella."

"But haven't things change enough with me being here?" she asked quietly. "I'm not sure what should be changed, Professor. What if I ruin something that should have stayed the same?"

"Some would say that you should not let growing feelings cloud your judgment," he replied. "However, I believe you should allow your feelings to help with your decisions because some will be more personal than others. Allow me to share with you some things that _could _change along with some that _should._"

He waved his hand and the darkness vanished, replaced by the Potion classroom where Snape stood, older than the one she know knew, staring at the messy haired boy with a lightning shaped scar that could only identify him as one person.

Harry Potter.

"_Ah, yes," Snape said softly. "Harry Potter. Our new - _celebrity_."_

_Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle sniggered behind their hands as Snape finished calling roll and looked up at the class with his cold, beady black eyes._

"_You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began, speaking in nothing but a whisper that managed to keep the class silent. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the sense… I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."_

Isabella winced slightly. Hearing Snape's speech in person was even more unnerving than reading it in a book. Especially when she knew what was going to happen next.

"_Potter!" Snape snapped suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"_

"_I don't know, sir," said Harry after exchanging a glance with Ron as Hermione's hand shot into the air._

_Snape sneered. "Tut, tut - fame clearly isn't everything."_

"_Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"_

_Hermione's hand stretched as Malfoy and his goons shook with laughter._

"_I don't know, sir."_

"_Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?"_

Isabella watched as the scene froze and Dumbledore reappeared before her.

"I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore, but I don't think that I could change how much Snape hates Harry," Isabella said seriously. "It can't be done. Snape will be bitter towards the boy no matter what I do."

"Perhaps," Dumbledore agreed. "But at least the boy would be prepared for Snape's questions. There are some other things that could change. Observe."

The scene dissolved and was replaced by the chamber where she could see Harry facing Quirrell, holding the man off as he tried to grab the boy and she couldn't help but wince at the shouts of "Harry! Harry!" and watch helplessly as the young boy was saved by Dumbledore.

"Isabella."

She turned, only to be confronted by another scene in the teacher's staffroom.

"_It has happened," McGonagall said to the silent teachers. "A student has been taken by the monster. Right into the Chamber itself."_

_Snape was gripping the back of a chair tightly. "How can you be sure?"_

"_The Heir of Slytherin," said McGonagall. "Left another message. Right underneath the first one. _Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever._"_

_Professor Flitwick burst into tears._

"_Who is it?" asked Madam Hooch. "Which student?"_

"_Ginny Weasley."_

Isabella closed her eyes tightly as Dumbledore appeared again. She would be sure to change that scene, if for nothing more than to keep the Weasley family from going through that pain.

"What happened to Ginny Weasley that year should never have happened," said Dumbledore softly. "And only you can see that it doesn't."

Another scene change.

"_Together?" Sirius said quietly._

"_I think so," said Remus, holding Scabbers tightly in one hand and his wand in the other. "On the count of three. One - two - THREE!"_

Change.

_The fire in the goblet turned red and sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot into the air, and borne upon it was a piece of parchment that Dumbledore aromatically reached for. The elderly wizard stared at it momentarily._

"Harry Potter_."_

Change.

_A flash of green light illuminated the graveyard as Cedric Diggory fell._

Change.

_Harry and Voldemort's spells colliding._

"Priori Incantetum," Isabella whispered to herself.

_Sirius falling through the veil._

_Dumbledore falling off the Astronomy Tower._

_Snape being forced into becoming Headmaster._

_The Death Eaters crashing Bill and Fleur's wedding._

_Moody being killed._

_George Weasley losing an ear._

_Ron leaving Hermione and Harry on the journey to find the Horcruxes._

_Ron, Harry, and Hermione being taken to Malfoy Manor._

_Peter being strangled by his own hand._

_Dobby being killed._

_Everyone gathering for the final battle._

_Fred Weasley being killed in an explosion._

These were things only _she _could change.

Isabella's eyes shot open, blurred with tears that she blinked away quickly. The hospital wing smelled like any other hospital she had ever been to and looked much too clean. The area surrounding her bed had been taken over by get-well cards, balloons, baskets of candy and other goods, large stuffed bears, dragons, lions, and many other things.

"Izzy?"

She looked toward the door of the hospital wing where a relieved looking Remus stood before he quickly walked over to her bedside.

"Hey, Rem," she smiled at him weakly. "How long have I been here?"

"Six days," he replied. "Madam Pomfrey's been keeping you knocked out since the game. She only just took you off the Dreamless Sleep Potions this morning. We didn't think you'd wake up so soon."

"There's so much I could change," she whispered and he looked at her curiously. "Just by being here things have changed. But, Remus -" she looked at him. "What if there are things made worse as well? If I can't save Lily and James then Sirius could still end up in Azkaban, Peter would still be a traitor, Harry would still have to go through things no kid should _ever _-"

"Izzy, calm down, okay?" Remus pleaded. "These are things we'll have to figure out along the way. We can't plan this out because, let's face it, nothing ever goes as planned."

A throat cleared behind them and Isabella locked eyes with Sirius.

"I think it's time you two tell me what's going on."

Isabella knew she must have looked panicked and Remus did as well. They exchanged glances and the looked back at Sirius who was watching them intensely.

"You two look awful cozy," he said, a grin beginning to creep onto his face. "Are the two of you secretly dating or something? Is that why you were more pissed about her being out in the forest than the rest of us, Moony?"

Isabella felt heat flood her face and she looked down, playing with the edge of the blanket. A light blush had colored Remus's face as he turned to speak to his still grinning friend.

"No, Padfoot, we're not dating," he explained. "Izzy just told me that she dreamed about the night Voldemort attacked her house."

The grin fell from Sirius's face. "Oh."

Isabella caught Remus' eyes again and knew the boy felt guilty for lying to his friend. She had agreed to let Remus know the truth, but now she couldn't help but wonder if the others should know as well. She thought about it for a few minutes but the answer still didn't come to her.

Was it time the others learned what their futures could hold?

_**A/N: Thanks to justawriter33, Bekkarific, NinjaWizardGleek15, Bad Wolf Baybe, Saya. Hikari. Uchiha., DaizeeG, and forestreject for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to 245-Jordan-136 and muSicLuHvEr for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to forestreject and justawriter33 for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was from the movie Easy A and was said by Rhiannon.**_

_**The quote this chapter is from a TV show. Just tell me the name of the show and the character who said it to get a preview of the next chapter.**_

"_**YES! I DEFEATED THE EVIL SHE-BEAST!"**_

_**Review because reviews are better than having to lie to your friends!**_

_**~Cherry**_


	11. Something Like That

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Ten: Something Like That_

_November 11; Monday_

It had taken Isabella the entire weekend to catch up on a week's worth of schoolwork even with Remus's help on most of the assignments. All the tension between her and the Marauders seemed to have vanished and it was as if the would-be fight between them all had never happened. James had even gone as far as to finish the Astronomy project on his own as his way of saying sorry.

After a long talk with Remus, the two had decided not to share the future with the others. It just seemed like the wrong thing to do at the time. Now, Isabella found herself flooded with guilt every time she was around the others and it was easy to see that Remus felt the same way.

"Christmas is only a month away," Sirius said one day at lunch.

"Yeah, so?" asked James around a mouthful of food.

"So, we need to start thinking of gift ideas for everybody."

"Why? We already know what must of us will get each other," Remus pointed out.

"Don't be a spoil-sport, Remus," Isabella said with a frown. "Frankly, I have no idea what I'm getting everyone yet. Although Lily was staring at this gorgeous necklace the last Hogsmeade trip. It was so expensive though." She shot James a sly look. "You should get it for her, James."

He blinked. "Great idea, Izzy!"

Remus sent her an amuse look. "Trying to play match-maker, Iz?"

"Maybe," she shrugged with a small smile.

"Either way, I'm glad she suggested it," James said. "You'll have to show me the necklace next Hogsmeade trip so I can buy it."

"No problem," she replied.

"What do you want?" Sirius snarled at someone behind her.

She turned to look up at Mulciber. "Oh, look what the cat dragged in."

"Watch it, Mudblood," he hissed, eyes narrowing. "You'd do well to be afraid of me."

She rolled her eyes. "Hm… let's see here. You're a snake and I'm a lion. Yeah, I'm real terrified, Mulciber."

"Hey, Mulciber," Remus said. "Didn't you hear? You were supposed to be a Hufflepuff, but your daddy rigged the Sorting Hat so that you wouldn't shame your ancestors."

James and Sirius laughed at their friends comments, giving them both high-fives while Mulciber turned red with anger. The Slytherin stood there, glaring down at Isabella who stared back at him calmly and with an air of confidence that seemed to make him rethink what he was going to say.

"Watch your back, Byrom," he hissed. "All kinds of accidents can happen in the Potions classroom."

"Is that a threat, Mulciber?"

"That's a promise."

They watched him leave, the glares from every member of the Gryffindor house seemed to pierce him like daggers, but he didn't let it show. Isabella shook her head in annoyance and turned back to her breakfast, stabbing her fork into the eggs on her plate, eyes narrowed into a glare.

The school day passed peacefully with no sign of Mulciber's threat being followed through and it put the Marauders at ease. None of them could have suspected the danger that was right around the corner for them. Especially not the danger that was charging toward Isabella without the slightest bit of hesitation.

**- X -**

"You call that expensive?" James asked as he stared down at the necklace. "Forty-five Galleons is like pocket change to a pure-blood."

"Well, Lily and I aren't pure-bloods, are we?" Isabella snapped.

"Sorry," James muttered before walking into the store.

Isabella rolled her eyes and looked around at all the shops in Hogsmeade. The others had already gone off to do their Christmas shopping seeing as she, Sirius, and James would be returning to Potter Manor the next day and Remus and Peter would also be returning to their homes. They wouldn't see each other at all over the holidays and so they wanted to be sure to get everything involving gift shopping out of the way, especially considering that they were also shopping for Isabella's which was the day they were set to return to school on January fifth.

After a brief meeting with her roommates at the hairdresser that was located in Hogsmeade to get their hair done, Isabella learned that Lily had saved up the money needed for the necklace but that it had already been purchased when the red head had gone to buy it.

"It was such a pretty necklace, too," Lily had sighed.

Afterwards, the friends all said goodbye and went to do their Christmas shopping. Isabella had almost immediately headed into Honeydukes to pick up various candies to include in the gifts. She bought many types of candies including Chocolate Frogs, Cauldron Cakes, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Fizzing Whizzbees, Liquorice Wands, and Sugar Quills. After paying for all the candy, she walked out of Honeydukes with a large bag and headed to Spintwitches, the only shop in Diagon Alley that sold sporting goods where she bought Sirius and James new Quidditch gloves seeing as they had been using the same ones since their second year and they were falling apart at the seams. She had gone to Gladrags Wizardwear to buy Peter some things. It felt odd shopping for him like he was a friend when she knew there was a chance he wouldn't be a friend to her in a couple of years. Not if she was unable to stop his betrayal.

She had only exited Tomes and Scrolls after buying Remus's presents when it happened. An intense feeling of unease settled over Hogsmeade and the nearby greengrocer's store exploded, glass from the windows flying everywhere as dark figures materialized in the street. She quickly ducked back into the bookshop and peeked out the barely cracked door, suddenly grateful that the bookshop had no windows.

"Find the girl!" one Death Eater ordered and the others set out, walking up and down the streets and peering into windows. "Find the girl the Dark Lord wishes to be disposed of!"

Isabella flinched back but did not let the door close. The students who had been out on the streets quickly fled into the shops to escape the Death Eater's attention. For a moment, everything was quiet and Isabella thought they had gone and then a scream sounded. A very familiar scream.

"Let me go!" Lily screeched as she struggled in the masked man's grip.

"Hush!" he hissed before magically magnifying his voice. "Isabella Byrom of Gryffindor House. We know you are in Hogsmeade today. We also know that this is a friend of yours. Should you come out now and show yourself without resistance then she will be released, if not, she will be killed. This is your first and last chance!"

"She's in the bookshop!" another student ratted out from the open door of Honeydukes and she could easily make the boy out as John Sater.

"No, she's not," Marlene shouted. "I saw her head toward the Shrieking Shack after she left the hairdresser."

Apparently, the Death Eaters found Marlene more believable because two of them quickly made their way to the Shrieking Shack. The Death Eater holding Lily shot a quick look toward the bookshop, but open seeing the closed door probably assumed it was closed and turned his attention back to the struggling girl as he spoke again.

"I guess you do not care about your friend then," he shoved Lily to one of his friends and pointed his wand at her. "Very well. _Ava-"_

"STOP!" she shouted, throwing open the door to the bookstore. "LET HER GO!"

A Death Eater appeared next to her, grabbing both her arms and binding them behind her back as the other Death Eater let Lily go. Alice ran from Honeydukes and grabbed Lily, who was shaking with fear and led their friend back to safety. She could see Peter and Sirius watching from The Three Broomsticks with torn expressions. James was in Honeydukes, speaking softly to Lily but keeping his eyes locked on the Death Eaters.

Where was Remus?

"Let the student go."

"Professor Dumbledore!"

The Death Eaters grasp on her loosened slightly as he eyed the elderly wizard, almost as if he was sizing up the Professor as an opponent. Professor Dumbledore stood before the Death Eaters with McGonagall, Flitwick, and Slughorn behind him, all of them wearing frowns as they eyed the small band of Death Eaters.

Isabella jerked her arm from his grasp and at that exact moment, a spell came flying at the Death Eater from the doors of Zonko's Joke Shop. Remus held his wand steady as he watched the Death Eaters with a calculating gaze. None of them moved to help their fallen comrade and none of them moved to grab Isabella as the teachers had taken the opportunity to pull out their own wands and hand them pointed at the five remaining Death Eaters. Isabella ran toward Zonko's where Remus freed the binds on her hands and pushed her behind him, making her scoff and narrow her eyes in annoyance.

Now he was treating her like a kid who couldn't take care of herself, not that she complained.

It felt kind of… nice, in a way. Having someone worried about her for once.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," she replied as the sounds of Apparation filled the air.

The Death Eaters had fled.

"Izzy!" James shouted as he, Sirius, and Peter ran over, all of them looking worried. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied softly. "Just a little shook up I guess. Is Lily okay?"

"She's more worried about you," said James, shooting a glance back toward her roommates. "Marlene and Alice too. They're worried about whether or not your okay seeing as it was you they were after. But why?"

"Probably because I know things I shouldn't," Isabella sighed. "Remember?"

"Oh yeah," said Sirius. "Cause you're like a Seer, right?"

She smiled at the now familiar joke. "Something like that."

_**A/N: Thanks to justawriter33, bekkarific, DaizeeG, Bad Wolf Baybe, NinjaWizardGleek15, Allycat817, and bananafreak97 for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to flowerspot bananafreak97 for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was said by Katie Knight from Big Time Rush.**_

_**Remember, all you have to do is tell me the name of CHARACTER who said the quote and the SHOW/MOVIE the quote is from to earn a preview of the next chapter. Congrats to Bad Wolf Baybe and Allycat817 for getting the last one correct!**_

_**The quote this time is from a movie.**_

"_**And much as it pains me to say this, and it really does, I gotta take you to jail."**_

_**Review because reviews are better than Death Eaters coming after you when your shopping! *Watches friend be carried away by Death Eaters* BYE ELISE! NICE KNOWING YOU!**_

_**~Cherry**_


	12. Time to Explain

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Eleven: Time to Explain_

"I'm telling you," Sirius said as they loaded their trunks into the overhead compartments on the train. "Mulciber ratted you out to the Death Eaters about you being in Hogsmeade that day."

"We don't know… that… for sure," Isabella gasped as she tried to push her heavy trunk into the overhead compartment. She shot Remus a grateful look when he stood from his seat to help. "Thanks, Rem. In addition, Sirius, we don't know it was Mulciber. It could have been any number of the Slytherins."

"But none of the other Slytherins threatened you a few weeks ago," he pointed out with a smug look. "So it had to be Mulciber."

"Who's to say they didn't just track me down themselves, genius?" she shot back. "I'm not going to blame someone when we have no idea who it was."

"Fine, fine," Sirius grumbled. "I still think it was him."

She rolled her eyes and watched warily as James pulled out his Wizard's Chess set. He set it up next to him and looked around the compartment, as if looking for someone to play against that he knew he could beat. He would lose to Remus, and Sirius was pretty good at chess. That only left her and Peter, both of whom had never played chess in their life.

"Izzy?" he asked pleadingly. "Play me in chess?"

"James, I've never played chess before," she replied, shaking her head stubbornly.

"Remus can help you," James said, and Remus looked up, shrugging in his silent agreement.

"I have no problem teaching you how to beat James at chess," Remus said with a grin as he stood, grabbing Isabella's hand to pull her up with him and led her over to the chess board.

She sat on the seat while he sat on the floor in front of the board. She stared at the board and the pieces as if they were foreign objects and he sighed. Maybe explaining chess to Isabella wouldn't be as easy as he thought.

"Chess it a rather simple game, Izzy," Remus explained as James set up the pieces. "Each player has control of one of the two sets of colored pieces and is typically referred to by the nominal color of the player's respective pieces, Black or White. White moves first and the player's alternate moves. Making a move is compulsory; it is not legal to skip a move, even when having to move is detrimental. Play continues until the king is checkmated, a player resigns, or a draw is declared."

"… I didn't even understand half of that," Isabella said flatly.

Remus sighed. "Okay, let's move on. Each piece has its own style of moving. Moves are made to vacant squares except when capturing an opponent's piece. With the exception of the Knight, pieces cannot jump over each other. The King can move exactly one square horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Ay most once in every game, each king is allowed to make a special move, know as castling. The Rook moves any number of vacant squares vertically of horizontally; it's also moved while castling. The Bishop moves any number of vacant squares in any diagonal direction. The Queen can move any number of vacant squares diagonally, horizontally, or vertically. The Knight moves to the nearest square not on the same rank, file, or diagonal. In other words, the Knight moves two squares like the rook and then one square perpendicular to that. Its move is not blocked by other pieces so it can leap to the new square. The Knight moves in an L or 7 shape with two steps one direction, a ninety degree turn, and one step in a new direction. Pawns have the most complex rules or movement: a Pawn can move forward one square is unoccupied. If it has not yet moved, a Pawn has the option of moving two squares forward provided both squares in front of the Pawn are unoccupied. A Pawn cannot move backward. Pawns are the only pieces that capture differently from how they move. They can capture and enemy piece on either of the two spaces adjacent to the space in front of them but cannot move to these spaces if they are vacant."

Isabella blinked at him as he pointed to the board.

"Along the bottom here, are A-H and along the side is 1-8," he explained. "That's how you move the piece. Watch -" he looked at the board. "Pawn to A3."

She watched as the Pawn on the left side moved forward one space before James took his turn, moving on Pawn forward to G6.

"Now you," Remus told Isabella. "I'd move one of the Pawns."

"Uh," she surveyed the board. "Pawn to H4."

"Pawn to A5."

"Pawn to D4."

"Knight to H6."

"Knight to C3."

"Pawn to A4."

"Knight to A4," Isabella watched as her Knight overtook James Pawn and the messy haired boy scowled.

"Rook to A4."

James's Rook overtook her Knight.

Remus blinked. "I sense an all ride competition coming on. Okay, Izzy, move another of the Pawns."

"Pawn to B3."

"Rook back to A8."

"Knight to F3."

"Pawn to F5."

"Pawn to E4."

"Pawn to C5."

"Move that one," Remus instructed, pointing to one of her Pawns.

"Pawn to C5."

Her Pawn overtook one of James's.

"Pawn to E4."

His Pawn destroyed one of hers.

"Pawn to G4."

"Pawn to F3."

His Pawn destroyed her remaining Knight.

"Remus," she whined. "I don't want to play anymore!"

"Easy, Izzy," he soothed, eyeing the board. "Move your Queen."

James shot Remus a look that basically implied he was crazy.

Isabella stared at the board momentarily before noticing what Remus meant. "Queen to F3."

Her Queen overtook one of his Pawns.

"Queen to A5. Check."

"Okay, move your King over," said Remus.

"King to D1."

"Queen to C5."

James's Queen destroyed one of her Pawns.

"Pawn to C3."

"Queen to E5."

"Queen to H3."

"You're a fast learner, Iz, but you won't win," said James as he looked at the board, calculating his next move. "Pawn to D5."

"Pawn to F3."

"Queen to C3."

His Queen destroyed another Pawn.

"Rook to B1."

"Knight to G4."

Another Pawn down.

"Pawn to G4."

Her Pawn took one of his Knights.

"Queen to H3."

His Queen overtook hers.

"Rook to H3."

Her Rook took his Queen.

"Remus, you play him, I'm bored," she whined.

He looked at her hesitantly. "I dunno, Izzy, you're doing really good…"

"Please?" she pleaded.

"I'll play," Sirius volunteered, walking over to take Isabella's seat as she stood up.

"I'm hungry, and it'll be awhile before the trolley gets here, so I'm gonna go and find it," she said, grabbing her small bag of money from her seat. "'Kay?"

"Not alone," Remus said. "Slytherins," he added, seeing the others throw him amused looks while Isabella busied herself with counting money. "Don't want them shooting spells at you."

"Okay," Isabella shrugged, brushing it off as nothing but his concern.

They left the compartment and walked side by side down the train, their hands brushing together occasionally but neither making a move away from the other. Isabella felt something in the back of her mind tell her that this was the wrong thing to do because Remus was supposed to be with Tonks. Then Dumbledore's words came crashing back into her mind.

_However, I believe you should allow your feelings to help with your decisions because some will be more personal than others. _

How she felt towards Remus was certainly a _personal _decision, but she needed to take into account all the repercussions it could cause. She hadn't even started to explain the fifth book to him and she could only image his reaction to his and Tonks' could be relationship. She wasn't sure if that was meant to change or stay the same. She figured that if it were meant to stay the same then she wouldn't be developing feelings toward him, right? She shook her head and shot him a sly glance, he was staring straight ahead, but that ever-so-noticeable blush was present on his face once more.

"So, Remus," she began. "Do you think Lily will like the necklace James got her?"

"She'll know you told him about it, Iz," Remus pointed out.

"No she won't," Isabella smirked. "I wasn't even shopping with Lily that day in Hogsmeade; I just thought it would be great to see her reaction at getting such a beautiful gift from the boy she hates."

"Well, she's probably not going to hate him for much longer," he replied. "You said they got together in their seventh year of school."

She nodded. "Yeah, at least they were supposed to before I came here."

"I wonder what other future relationships changed," he mused. "Harry and Ginny… Hermione and Ron… Bill and Fleur…"

"You and Tonks."

He stopped and stared at her. "Me and _who_?"

She blinked. "I guess it's time I explain the last three books."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

_**A/N: Thanks to DaizeeG, forestreject, Bad Wolf, Baybe, bekkarific, bananafreak97, justawriter33, NinjaWizardGleek15, and LucklessRomance for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to bananafreak97, FatHo, mlkdud009, and forestreject for adding this story to their favorites.**_

_**Ugh, all that research on chess has fried my freakin' brain. xP**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was said by Milo Boyd in THE BOUNTY HUNTER! Congrats to LucklessRomance for getting it correct. :D**_

_**The quote this chapter is from a movie and all you have to do is tell me the CHARACTER who said it and what MOVIE it is from the get a preview of the next chapter.**_

"_**No, after he bumped me, they tried to make me apologize. That's when I hit him."**_

_**Review because reviews are better than having to play wizard's chess against James! :O**_

_**~Cherry**_


	13. The Final Explanation

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Twelve: The Final Explanation_

_She blinked. "I guess it's time I explain the last three books."_

"_Yeah, I guess it is."_

Remus opened the door to a nearby empty compartment and Isabella stepped in. She fidgeted with the edge of her t-shirt uncomfortably as she sat down. Remus closed the compartment door and moved to the seat across from her, watching her with a slightly guarded expression. It appeared that her comment about his relationship status in the future had done her no favors.

"The fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," she began. "It's been another long, hot summer at the Dursleys' for Harry Potter. Having spent most of it in an adolescent "funk" of depression and bitterness over his friends' lack of informative letters about Voldemort's return, he's suddenly jolted out of his bad mood when two Dementors show up in Little Whinging and attack him and his cousin, Dudley. When Harry uses magic to drive them off, however, he quickly receives a succession of owls from the Ministry, requiring him to attend a disciplinary hearing. His heart sinks when he reads that his expulsion from Hogwarts will be decided then."

Remus rolled her eyes. "The Ministry of the future is a bunch of idiots, aren't they?"

"Not any different from the Ministry we have now. Although, Madam Rennin is a much better Minister than Fudge is," Isabella replied with a frown. "When Harry finally manages to make it back to school, he finds his long awaited return jarringly different than usual. Hagrid's missing, there are now skeletal horses pulling the school carriages that only he can see, and the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is none other than toad like, repulsive Dolores Umbridge, a Ministry Representative whom Harry is all too familiar with."

Remus' fist clenched. "Umbridge."

Isabella looked at him. "You've already met her?"

"No," he answered. "But you told me she passed the Anti-Werewolf Legislation of 1993 after I taught at Hogwarts."

"Oh, I did, didn't I?" she mused before shaking her head. "Anyway, even worse are the constant mutterings of the other students. Having spent all summer discrediting both Harry and Dumbledore, the Ministry has succeeded into convincing everyone they're both crazy and that Voldemort's return is nothing but a figment of their imagination. With only Ron and Hermione standing by his side, Harry is hard-pressed to stay in a good mood and often lashes out at the ones he is closest to. His defiant behavior lands him in detention for weeks at a time with Umbridge, who soon rises to the status of Hogwarts High Inquisitor and revels in sacking teachers and keeping the entire school under the control of her stubby, ugly-ringed fingers."

"Now, Izzy, if you don't have something nice to say -"

"Don't even start, Remus. Be quiet so I can finish telling you about the last three books," she snapped. "As the school year progresses Harry and Umbridge frequently lock horns, and she retaliates by taking away everything he cares about: Quidditch, letters from Sirius, and visits with Hagrid. Therefore, Harry fights back the only way he can, by forming a secret Defense group and teaching his friends how to fight properly. In spite of the frantic workload of O.W.L. year, the tyranny of Umbridge, and an unbearable crush on Ravenclaw Seeker Cho Chang, Harry keeps having tantalizing dreams of dark corridors and locked doors that are distracting at best. His scar prickles constantly and he soon finds he's turned into a tiny antenna for Voldemort's mood swings, which certainly doesn't help his own temper."

"An antenna?" he looked amused.

"Let's see you come up with a better way to describe it, then," she teased. "Things take a disastrous turn when Dolores Umbridge finds out about Harry's secret Defense group. Harry is thrown into a world of guilt when Dumbledore, protecting Harry, claims credit for the group and has to flee the school in order to escape arrest. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ends with an epic battle of good and evil, resulting in a devastating loss to Harry and the full revelation that his destiny lies intertwined with none other than Voldemort himself. He finds out what true loyalty is, and how to stand strong in the face of ultimate sacrifice."

"Devastating loss?"

"Remus," she paused, as if searching for the right way to tell him. "At the end of the fifth book, Sirius falls through the Veil in the Death Chamber at the Ministry… He dies, Remus."

Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Poor Harry. Sirius was practically the last bit of family he had left."

"The sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," she began softly, letting him have a few minutes to digest the information from the last book. "Harry's 6th year at Hogwarts opens to find him more mellow and grown up than he's ever been. The death of Sirius has left its indelible mark on him, and he's more determined than ever to put an end to Voldemort and his Death Eaters. He's happy to escape the tyranny of the Dursley's early in the summer when Dumbledore picks him up to attend to a mysterious errand. Harry ends up persuading ex-professor Horace Slughorn to come out of retirement to teach at Hogwarts again."

"If you ask me, Slughorn should have never quit," Remus snorted. "It would save those poor kids from having to suffer learning from Snape."

"Snape's not that…" Isabella stopped. "Okay, he is a pretty crummy teacher. Harry is overjoyed to be back at school when the day finally arrives. He's been made Quidditch Team Captain, and is floored when he finds out that Snape finally achieved his burning ambition to become Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Harry is excited to be taking private lessons with Dumbledore this year, who is showing him all about Voldemort's past. Dumbledore hopes that knowing as much as he can about Voldemort will help Harry in his final battle with the Dark Lord. A mysterious book previously owned by "the Half-Blood Prince" crosses his path early on during Potions class that changes the course of his school year and gives him a reputation for Potions brilliance that baffles everyone. Harry quickly grows to depend on the Half-Blood Prince's knowledge and uses some of his spells outside of class, much to Hermione's displeasure."

"The Prince created his own spells?" Remus asked. "Really?"

"Yeah, some pretty wicked spells too," Isabella replied. "He also keeps an increasingly close eye on Draco Malfoy. Convinced that Malfoy has replaced his father as Death Eater, Harry believes Malfoy is constructing a dark plot inside the school but can't for the life of him figure out what it is. Between Ron and Hermione's skepticism, and Malfoy's disappearances from the school grounds, Harry has his hands full trying to uncover what he's up to. As the year speeds by Harry and Ron both are amazed at their blossoming love life, and Harry especially falls hard for someone he knows he shouldn't. His lessons with Dumbledore continue sporadically, and he's excited to hear that he might be able to go with Dumbledore on a dangerous mission to help destroy a part of Voldemort's soul."

"So I'm guessing that the someone who shouldn't fall for is Ginny," said Remus. "But what do you mean 'a part' of Voldemort's soul?"

"His soul is split into seven," she explained. "Seven Horcruxes, each containing a part of Voldemort's soul in it. That's how he was able to come back even after Harry destroyed his physical body when he was a baby."

"Seven of them," Remus said quietly. "So as long as all seven of those Horcruxes exist then he can keep coming back."

She nodded. "Things reach a frantic pace when several things happen at once. Harry and Dumbledore leave on their mission, Malfoy's dark plot finally works and he is able to sneak in Death Eaters to attack the school, and a fierce battle takes place between the students, members of the Order, and the Death Eaters. Harry and Dumbledore return only to get trapped on the Astronomy Tower where, to Harry's devastation, Snape kills Dumbledore without a second thought. Dumbledore's death is a fierce blow to Harry, but it enables him to see clearly what his true mission is. He resolves that he will not return to Hogwarts again, but instead set off to destroy the remaining fragments of Voldemort's soul. He is bolstered when Ron and Hermione insist on going with him, and as soon as Dumbledore's funeral is off they agree to start their journey together."

"_Snape _kills Dumbledore!" Remus growled, jumping to his feet. "Unbelievable. I knew he was into the Dark Arts and that he was ambitious, but what Slytherin isn't. But he killed Dumbledore?"

"Easy, Remus," she frowned. "And keep your voice down, you twit! The last thing we need is anyone else learning all this stuff."

"Right," he said, taking a deep breath and sitting back down. "Calm down."

"The seventh book is called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," she began. "Its starts with a meeting between Voldemort and his Death Eaters where your recent marriage to Nymphadora Tonks comes up and embarrass both Bellatrix and Narcissa to no end seeing as they are related to Tonks."

"I get _married_?" he repeated. "No, no way. Not going to happen."

"Well it did and probably will," Isabella replied with a soft smile. _If that hasn't already changed._

"Well, uh, go on," he urged shyly.

"Harry has finally come of age, and finally started on his final journey to defeat Voldemort for good. The Dursleys are forced to go into hiding so that Voldemort's Death Eaters will not torture them for information, and Harry sets off with Ron and Hermione on a difficult quest to find and destroy the last of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Only once those have been destroyed, Harry knows, can Voldemort truly be killed. It's not easy. Harry is plagued with rumors of Dumbledore's past, and begins to wonder if the Headmaster he so long revered might have had a much darker past than he ever let on. The three are frequently without food, and with winter coming their journey is no day at the beach. Because of their lack of plan, lack of food, and lack of progress, their spirits are often low, and Ron especially becomes argumentative. One night he and Harry get into an epic fight and Ron leaves to go back home."

"He leaves over a fight?" Remus asked. "Huh, sounds like something Sirius or James would do."

Isabella snorted. "Tell me about it, that's just what I was thinking! Harry and Hermione are devastated that he'd abandoned them. They finally decide to revisit Godric's Hollow in search of clues, and once again, they're almost caught by Voldemort. Every step they make, it seems, he is there anticipating them. They've almost died too many times to count, and their spirits sink even lower when Harry discovers his wand was broken in the battle. Ron redeems himself a few weeks later by coming back and saving Harry's life in the nick of time. They manage to destroy another Horcrux with Gryffindor's Sword, and they become excited again as they begin to learn about a mysterious trio of magical objects called the Deathly Hallows. Whoever possesses the three objects will be a master of death, and to Harry, it's his one chance to beat Voldemort and live to tell the tale."

Remus shook his head. "Now _my _brain is starting to hurt."

"Poor baby," she joked, reaching over to thump him on the forehead.

"Ow!" he shouted, rubbing his now red forehead. "That hurt."

She rolled her eyes. "As his adventures and the danger he's in increases, Harry begins to truly understand what Dumbledore intended him to do. He realizes, almost at the last minute, that his own life will have to be sacrificed in order for Voldemort to truly be vanquished. Filled with love for his friends, he willingly gives his life so that they may live. His last act of heroism, however, saves his life. He meets Dumbledore again in death, and Dumbledore answers many of his questions. He is given a choice to stay or to go back, and he chooses to go back and fight. It's all over between Harry and Voldemort with just one spell. Harry is left alive, the true master of the Hallows, and Voldemort is killed for good. He now understands more than he ever has about love, and life, and sacrifice, and in spite of the loss of many of his friends during the last battle, is grateful for the second chance he's been given at life, and love."

Remus eyed her. "You're leaving things out."

"You and Tonks had a little boy named Teddy, and you both die at the battle of Hogwarts," Isabella finished. "After naming Harry godfather during some point in his journey."

"I have a son and then I die," he repeated blankly before shaking his head and standing. "I'm, uh, gonna head back."

"But what about the trolley?" she whined. "I'm hungry!"

"Find it yourself," he snapped, walking out and slamming the door.

"Okay," she whispered to herself after a few minutes. "He just needs time to take it all in."

She sighed, wishing she believed what she had said as she opened the compartment door and walked out, heading off to find the trolley.

_**A/N: Thanks to DaizeeG, mcgonagiggles, SinfulSanctuary, NinjaWizardGleek15, and Bad Wolf Baybe for reviewing the last chapter. **_

_**I decided on a double update today since there might not be one tomorrow seeing as I will be spending all day babysitting.**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was said by Peter Pevensie in the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. It's one of my favorite Peter quotes. x3**_

_**Remember all you have to do is name the CHARACTER who said the quote and the MOVE or TV SHOW that it is from. This time it's from a TV show.**_

"_**From now on, we're home schooling you. Whatever we don't know, you don't know. When did the Korean War start? I don't know, and neither do you!"**_

_**~Cherry**_


	14. A New Year, A New Future

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series._

_Chapter Thirteen: A New Year, A New Future_

Isabella lay awake that night in her room at Potter Manor. When she had returned from the trolley, Remus had been ignoring her and it was something that did not go unnoticed by the others. They were asked what was up with them numerous times, but neither answered. She made no move to speak to him either, knowing that he had learned a lot of stuff that day and that he needed time to process it all.

The next morning she felt something hit her bed at a high speed and she let out a scream as she opened her eyes to find a large bear like dog standing over her with a stupid grin. The dog barked happily and a few drops of slobber fell onto her face.

"Ugh, gross!" she shouted, used her feet to try and shove the dog off. "PADFOOT, GET OFF ME!"

The dog barked in amusement before hopping off and running from the room.

"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" she shrieked and jumped up from the bed, ignoring the fact that she was in short shorts and a tank top as she ran from the room to look around. "PADFOOT!"

"Izzy?" James asked tiredly, poking his head out from his room down the hall. "What the hell are you screaming about?"

She ignored him and walked down the hall towards Sirius room, banging on the door loudly. "Sirius Orion Black, I swear to Merlin, you're a dead man when you come out of that room!"

She heard him let out a bark of laughter. "Good thing I don't plan to come out."

She banged on the door again. "SIRIUS!"

**- X -**

"IZZY WAKE UP! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" James shouted as he threw open her door on Christmas morning only three days later.

"Go away," she groaned irritably. "Leave me alone."

He frowned. "We all know you're upset about Moony ignoring you, whatever that's about. But you need to come down and open your presents. The one on the very top of your pile is from Remus…"

She sat up and looked at him. "He still sent me a gift?"

"Of course he did," James replied as if it were obvious. "He's not completely stupid."

"No, that would be you," she retorted before rolling out of bed and he grabbed her by the arm, dragging her downstairs to the Potter's living room where the Christmas tree was. There were large piles of gifts situated around the tree and, as James had said, the gift at the top of her pile was from Remus.

She hesitated before grabbing the gift and moving it to the bottom. She was a little worried about what the gift could be and nervous to open it first. Instead, she picked up a gift from Alice and began unwrapping it. It was a beautiful necklace with a gold chain and a very well craft 3d charm of the Golden Snitch at the bottom. Her gift from Marlene was a Quidditch bracelet with a broom, Quaffle, two Bludgers, a Beater's bat, and the Snitch on it to match her necklace. Lily's gift was an outfit that Isabella had been obsessing over the day they went Christmas shopping but she had passed on buying it because if she did there wouldn't have been anyway for her to buy her Christmas gifts for everyone.

It was 100% cotton maxi dress with raw edge skirted panels to create volume, adjustable herringbone tape crossover straps with signature AllSaints rust finish adjusters and under bust tie detail. The Ikat maxi dress features print inspired by authentic Ikat weaves from India and sourced vintage fabrics. The shoes were a pair of tan Mia Biscotti Natural Platform Wedges that looked gorgeous if you asked her. In addition, the final part of the gift was a charm bracelet with small butterfly charms and clear beads.

Peter's gift was nothing but a wide variety of candy from Honeydukes. Sirius had gotten her a Broom Servicing Kit. James had gotten her _Quidditch Through The Ages_, something that rolled her eyes. She figured after listening to him explain the game to her dozens of times before the school year even started had made her familiar enough with the game, and she was on the team, she knew plenty about Quidditch already.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter had gone through the trouble of getting her a vault and Gringotts and having some money transferred over from their vault into hers. It had shocked her and she had protested against it, but they said that she would need the money when she graduated at the end of the year, something to help hold her over until she got a good job.

"Have you been thinking of what you want to do?" Mrs. Potter asked as the boys tore into their own gifts.

"I have considered a few things, yes," she replied. "Mostly I've narrowed it down to being a Curse Breaker at Gringotts, working for the Ministry, or being a Healer."

Mr. Potter smiled. "Those are some pretty good choices."

"The Wizarding World could certainly use more Healers," said Mrs. Potter quietly. "Dear, I think you missed one of your gifts."

Isabella looked at the gift from Remus and picked it up hesitantly. "It's from Remus. I was, uh… putting off opening it."

"They had a fight over something on the train the other day," Sirius explained when he saw the adults confused looks. "What was that about, Iz?"

"Nothing important, Sirius," she said.

"It must be important if it pissed off Remus of all people," James argued with a frown.

Isabella ignored him and unwrapped the gift shocked to see a jewelry box much like the one her Snitch necklace and Quidditch bracelet had been in. She carefully lifted the lid to it and grabbed the chain of the necklace. It was of a wolf's head. It was biting down on the ring that hung from the chain and there were ridges made to look like real fur that ended in a fang at the bottom. There was a single small diamond on the ring. There was also a note.

_I'm sorry._

She smiled and pulled unclasped the necklace, carefully placing it around her neck and re-doing the clasp. It fell just above the line of her shirt.

James smiled. "He trusts you, Iz."

"I know," she replied. "And I'm glad he does."

"Mum, can we have a New Years party?" James pleaded. "Please?"

Mr. and Mrs. Potter exchanged amused glances before the former said, "I don't see why not. Anyone you want to invite?"

"Lily," Sirius and Isabella muttered together.

James grinned. "Lily, Marlene, Alice, Remus, Peter and a few other Gryffindors."

"We can invite our colleagues from work," said Mrs. Potter with a smile.

"Okay then," Mr. Potter agreed before looking at the kids. "Go write letters to your friends, kids."

"Alright!" they cheered.

**- X -**

"Moony!" Sirius shouted, tackling the boy as he walked through the door, also taking down Isabella who had been coming down from the stairs.

"Padfoot, get off," Remus groaned, trying to shove his friend off as Isabella managed to worm her way out from under the boys. "Merlin, you weigh a ton."

"I do not!" Sirius argued in offense.

"Nice monkey suit, Sirius," Isabella snorted, taking in the tuxedo. "Same to you, Remus."

"Yeah, yeah," Sirius grumbled, tugging at the collar of his tuxedo. "Blasted thing."

Isabella wore a beautifully ruffled royal-blue silk-organza dress ruffled halter neck dress with a contrast pleated black waistband. It was Notte by Marchesa and had an open back, low V-neck, stitched trim, hook-fastening halter neck, a concealed hook and zip-fastening at back and is fully lined. A pair of Keagan blue canvas mix heels completed her outfit along with her wolf necklace.

She was chatting with Marlene and Alice when she noticed Remus motion toward the doors leading out to the balcony. She nodded at him and excused herself from the girls before walking over to join at the door. He gently took her by the arm and led her outside, careful not to make her drop her goblet of butterbeer.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I gathered as much," she replied, motioning to the necklace. "It's beautiful, Remus. Thank you."

He smiled softly. "What you said on the train really bothered me. I just… people like me don't date, Iz. We don't get married and we certainly don't have kids. What if something were to go wrong? One bad full moon or the gene getting passed down to a baby. It would be awful and I couldn't put a little kid through that."

"Remus, don't you think it would be better for the kid with a dad who knows what they're going through?" she asked and he nodded.

"That's what I thought about too," he said with a sigh. "I guess after three days to really think it over, I learned that. Plus, I knew I had upset you when I ignored you. I thought maybe if I were to think about everything you said, maybe I'd better prepare myself for when it happens."

She flinched slightly, but he continued on.

"But it made me think," he said softly. "That's not the future I want. I mean, yeah, getting married and having a kid sounds nice, but not with Tonks. It's too… weird, I guess. I mean, she's just a toddler right now and it seems kinda… wrong seeing as she's Sirius's cousin."

"It's also weird that Sirius is his own second cousin," Isabella joked weakly. "Weren't his parents cousins?"

"I believe so," Remus chuckled. "But what I was trying to say was. I want that future, just not with Tonks."

She looked at him in confusion. "What? Then who-"

Her eyes widened.

_Remus Lupin was kissing her!_

Things had just gotten a lot more complicated, not to mention personal.

_**A/N: Woo, Remus is really taking a big chance there. 0_0**_

_**Thanks to GINNYWEASLEY 77, bananafreak97, justawriter33, NinjaWizardGleek15, Kimboolinaa, Allycat817, anonymous, and Bad Wolf Baybe for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to Lil Miss Sunshine14, '-Magical Moonshine-', Aereyia Hikari, Sammy-O Luvs The Ice,roger-kimi, and Kimboolinaa for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to Lil Miss Sunshine14 and WingedHybrid for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**Special, SPECIAL thanks to GinnyWeasley77 for being my 100th reviewer! Glad you like the story! :D**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was said by George Lopez from George Lopez.**_

_**Remember to tell me the CHARACTER who said it and the MOVIE/TV SHOW that the quote is from and if you get it right, you get a preview of the next chapter.**_

_**This chapter's quote is from a TV SHOW.**_

"_**If that's not good enough for you; hey so long sucker, see ya, bon voyage, arrivederci, later loser, goodbye, good riddance, peace out, let the doorknob hit ya where the god Lord split ya, don't come back around here no more, hasta la vista, kick rocks, and get the hell out."**_

_**Review because reviews are better than having a dog drool on your face!**_

_**~Cherry**_


	15. Best Friend Fighting

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Fourteen: Best Friend Fighting_

"_I hear she's dating Remus Lupin."_

"_Aw, that's so cute!"_

"_It won't last, you know, the Marauders don't date girls for very long, especially not a loser like Byrom."_

"_Whatever the case, she better enjoy that boy while she can."_

"_Remus and Isabella, huh? I never saw that one coming."_

Isabella tightened her grip on Remus's hand as he led her down the halls toward the Great Hall for breakfast on the first morning back to the school. The train had arrived late the night before, leaving the students to climb tiredly into bed. The seventh year Gryffindor girls, however, had stayed up gossiping about what had happened over break. There had been obvious tension between Alice and Marlene, the two had been shooting glares at each other during the entire hour-long conversation, and Alice had reported her and Frank's breakup, something that had shocked Lily and Isabella, but made Marlene look somewhat smug.

The breakup would not last, that was obvious.

Lily had been very pleased with the necklace James had sent her, finding it beautiful and a kind gesture from a friend. Perhaps things were finally heading in the right direction.

"Just ignore them," Remus whispered, as the eyes of many others followed them into the Great Hall.

"Easier said than done," she muttered in reply, but smiled nonetheless. "I don't like being stared at, Remus, it's so unnerving."

"The sacrifice that comes with dating a Marauder," he teased.

She nodded, allowing a small laugh. "I guess so. However, I think I can deal with the staring and the whispering. What I can't deal with is Alice and Marlene being at each other's throats. Did you know she and Frank broke up because of something Marlene did?"

"What did Marlene do?"

"I have no idea, she wont' tell us, and it upsets Alice," Isabella replied. "I think Marlene must have set it up though. Frank would never do anything to hurt Alice, definitely not anything that would break them up either. And let's face it; Marlene's been acting like a hag for awhile now. She's always so bitter toward everyone lately and -"

She broke off as the roommate in question motioned for Isabella to come and sit with her, Lily, and Alice, the last of whom was stabbing at her breakfast angrily.

"I need to go referee, it appears," Isabella sighed, pecking Remus on the cheek and untangling their fingers. "See you in class."

"Have a nice breakfast," Remus replied before walking over to sit with his fellow Marauders.

Isabella walked over to her friends with a cheerful smile, taking a seat between Lily and Alice, while Marlene sat across from them. Alice looked over and gave her a small smile while Lily looked too tired to really care about what was going on. Marlene was eyeing Remus as he walked away, her sharp gaze scrutinizing him.

"So you're dating Remus?" Marlene asked when she turned her eyes back to Isabella. "I don't like it; guys that cute and that popular are always hiding something."

There was a gleam of knowing in her eyes.

"You just hate the idea of something good happening to anyone but you," Alice snared under her breath, causing Marlene to look at her.

"That is so true, but really," Marlene continued looking back at Isabella. "Izzy, I don't think you should, like, _fall _for Remus. He's got a secret that's darker than you think."

Isabella glanced at Lily and Alice and the three shared panicked looks. If Marlene hadn't worked out the secret of Remus' furry little problem, then it certainly wouldn't stay a secret for long. Marlene had a big mouth and, although it wouldn't have seemed likely when they first meet, she was a real blabbermouth. Especially when it came to big secrets.

Isabella felt her eyes narrow. "For Merlin's sake, Marlene, don't try and control my relationship."

Marlene rolled her eyes in exasperation. "He's dangerous, Izzy. I can't explain here, but I will later."

"I already know," Isabella hissed. "And you better keep your mouth shut, do you hear me? He's never hurt anyone and he never will."

Isabella stood and grabbed her bag before walking down the table and plopping down next to Remus in her angry huff. He glanced at her in the corner of his eye while trying to continue listen to James talk about something involving Quidditch. He placed his hand on top of her own and she sent him a weak smile before leaning over.

"I think Marlene know," she whispered.

He stiffened. "What?"

"She was telling me I shouldn't date you, that you're dangerous," Isabella rolled her eyes. "I wish she would mind her own business."

"It's Marlene," said Sirius as he caught onto to their conversation. "She never minds her own business, Izzy, you know that. And don't worry, she won't tell anyone. I think."

Isabella shook her head. "Sirius, she's been real vindictive toward everyone lately. I'm going to talk to her later because I don't want to take any risks in trusting that she's a good person when she's been a complete bitch to everyone lately. Alice and Frank, for instance. She just couldn't stand that they were happy so she broke them up."

"Whatever," Sirius shrugged. "You deal with Marlene however you want. As for Alice and Frank, they'll work things out."

The first class of the day, Potions, was not something she was looking forward to. When they entered the class, she noticed that some of the seating partners were different. It was Slytherin with Slytherin or Gryffindor with Gryffindor, Slughorn was forcing them to pair off together, Slytherin and Gryffindor.

"Ah, Miss Byrom, nice of you to join us," Slughorn said cheerfully when she and the Marauders entered the room. "Mr. Black, you're still paired with Yaxley. Mr. Potter, you're paired with Gibbons. Pettigrew is with Snape. Lupin, you're with Grant. And you, Miss Byrom, you're partnered with Mr. Mulciber."

Isabella could feel a frown settle on her face. She glanced at Mulciber who had a large smirk on his face as he motioned for her to come and sit down. Hesitantly, she did so, making sure her chair was as far away from his as possible. He looked at her with disgust, but the smirk never left his face.

"You know, Byrom," he said. "If you weren't a Mudblood, I'd be pretty interested in you."

She shot him a look. "Even if I was a pureblood, Mulciber, I'd rearrange your face with a Beaters bat if you tried anything."

Classes were much more enjoyable after that. Once Potions had ended, Isabella had practically ran to her next class where she could sit net to Remus without worrying about the Defense Professor pairing them with Slytherins instead. They were practicing some things that had been learned in earlier years, seeing as their N.E.W.T.s were coming up within a few months.

"You're such a two-faced bitch!"

"Whatever, Alice!"

"No, not whatever, Marlene! You ruined everything!"

"Hey, enough!" Isabella heard Lily shout as she entered the common room. "Guys, chill out, okay? You two need to-"

"Shut up, Lily!" Marlene snapped.

"Don't be a bitch, Marlene!" Lily retorted. "I'm so sick of the two of you being at each others' throats and it's only been one damn day!"

Isabella paused, hesitant to join in on the argument, but when Lily started using her words, she knew it was time to intervene. She walked over to stand next to Lily, who was beginning to look uncomfortable as she watched Alice and Marlene glaring at each other, seeing who would give in first.

"I can't believe you!" Alice ranted. "You told me Frank has been using me to get good grades!"

"What?" Isabella asked. "Frank's plenty smart on his own; I doubt he was doing that!"

"Shut up, Isabella!" Marlene snarled. "So what if Frank's smart enough on his own! I was doing Alice a favor. Did you know he proposed to her over break? They've only been dating for two years! The relationship would have been a train wreck."

"That wasn't for you to decide!" shouted Alice. "That was a decision Frank and I made, and you ruined it! But you know what, Marlene? You don't win! Not this time because I'm going to talk to Frank and we're going to work this out."

"Great, so Alice will get her happily ever after!" Marlene said sarcastically. "You'll probably be knocked up right out of Hogwarts, if you're not already."

"Damnit, Marlene, shut up!" Lily added. "Leave Alice alone. Just because you're bitter that everyone but you has a boyfriend doesn't mean you can do things like this!"

Lily had a boyfriend?

_That's why James was in a good mood today!_

"Coming from you?" Marlene asked. "What a joke, Lily! You say you hate James Potter and he spends years pining over you and suddenly, you give in. Once he gets you in the sack, he'll dump you like yesterday's leftovers!"

"Hey!" Isabella interjected. "That's enough, Marlene! James likes Lily, and I'm sure they could have a wonderful future together. But friends like you are what keep that from happening."

"Friends like me?" she mocked. "Coming from you, the girl who's dating a-"

She couldn't even finish her sentence before Alice's fist connected with the side of her face. Marlene screeched and spun around, the two of them practically disappearing in a flurry of hair, clothes, fists and feet. The other kids in the common room had gathered around, happy to observe the cat fight. It was going too far, and Lily was backing away slowly, still shocked by what Marlene had said about James, but it was clear that she didn't believe it.

Isabella stepped forward, pushing herself between the two. "Enough! That is it! The two of you are going to make nice even if I have to lock you in a broom cupboard with each other for a week! This has gone way to fa-"

A fist caught her in the jaw.

"Oh, that does it," she growled, rubbing her jaw. "I am going to kill you, Marlene!"

And so, the fight resumed.

_**A/N: Thanks to Bad Wolf Baybe, DaizeeG, NinjaWizardGleek15, Kimboolinaa, justawriter33, and silvermoony77 for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to discospider for adding Falling to their favorites. Thanks to Edward Cullen's Girl, ImaWake05, indescribable music, lillycakesx8, Norma Jane, .., silvermoony77, SimplyMarvy, and WorldOfMagic711 for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**The quote from last chapter was from My Wife and Kids, said by Michael Kyle when he was kicking out Jr. **_

_**The quote this chapter is from a movie. Remember to tell me the name of the movie and the name of character who said it to get a preview of the next chapter.**_

"_**I want to get chocolate wasted."**_

_**Review because reviews are better than having best friends fighting!**_

_**~Cherry**_


	16. Death Tears The World Apart

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Fifteen: Death Tears The World Apart_

Isabella winced, prodding her bruised jaw gently while Marlene and Alice sat on each side of her, glaring daggers at each other behind her back. They were all sitting in McGonagall's office, not at all surprised that someone had scuttled off to report the fight when the girls had started using wands instead of fists.

… Marlene did look good with neon pink hair, if you asked her. It was a job well done.

McGonagall was on her little warpath. "Fighting like a bunch of barbarians in the middle of the common room! What were you girls thinking? I have never seen such disgraceful behavior from a group of Gryffindors, let alone young ladies. You three have both shocked and amazed me tonight, so much anger between you all that needs to be worked out one way or another. I will not have Gryffindors fighting like this with one another. Especially not with one of my star Quidditch players. You, Miss Byrom, have greatly endangered your position on the Quidditch team-"

"Professor no!" Isabella squeaked. "Please, please don't kick me off the team!"

"I won't," McGonagall said gruffly. "But if I hear of you fighting with Miss McKinnon and Miss Jenkins again, you're out."

Isabella nodded, knowing that James wouldn't be happy that she had threatened her position on his team.

"As for the fighting," McGonagall continued. "Each of you will have two months worth of detention every night. Miss Jenkins, you will serve your detention with Professor Slughorn, Miss McKinnon with Mr. Filch, and you, Miss Byrom, will be serving with Hagrid."

"No fair!" Marlene protested. "All Hagrid will make her do is care for animals!"

McGonagall's frosty gaze turned to Marlene. "How Hagrid has Miss Byrom serve her detention is none of your concern, Miss McKinnon. In addition, just to make this perfectly clear, you three girls are not to head for the hospital wing to rid yourselves of your bruises and scratches. If you believe the fight was justified, then walking around with the battle scars is even more so. You are dismissed."

Marlene stormed ahead of them without a word. Alice and Isabella glared at her back as she continued without them. The two exchanged a glance with one other before rolling their eyes and heading back to the common room for a good night's sleep.

The next morning, Isabella awoke before the others and carefully slipped out of bed. She showered quickly before getting dressed and slipping on her school robes. Quietly, she walked down the stairs and entered the common room. She walked toward the portrait, not noticing the three boys who were sitting on the couch waiting for her.

"Hold it," James said as he rose. "Izzy, why did I get a note from McGonagall that you might get kicked off the Quidditch team if you're in anymore fights?"

"Because I'll get kicked off the team if I get in anymore fights," Isabella answered blankly.

James gave her an aggravated look. "I figured that part out myself, thanks," he said dryly. "Point is, we have a game in two days, Izzy. Against Ravenclaw."

"Really? I wasn't aware that the game that could put us in the lead for the Quidditch Cup was so soon," she snapped.

"Don't snap at me," James argued. "You're the one who was stupid enough to jump into a fight."

"James," Remus said with a warning to his tone.

"Me?" Isabella whipped around and glared at him. "Sorry for not wanting the girls to kill each other! I was trying to stop them."

"Oh yeah, it shows," Sirius snorted. "I didn't know that stopping them meant that you had to start fighting too."

"Marlene punched me!"

"So you had to punch her back?"

"Don't you even start, Remus!"

"I didn't start it; you're the one who's yelling."

Isabella glared at all three of them before storming from the room, her bag whacking Sirius in the gut when she spun on her heel. She could hear James snort and Remus chuckle quietly, but knew that their eyes never left her until she was out of the room.

_Hold on for your father… it will be alright… hold on…_

Isabella paused at the sound of Lily's voice and looked behind her. The girl was not there. Perplexed, Isabella began walking again, changing course for the kitchens instead, not wanting to face the boys who she knew had probably already reached the Great Hall because of the secret passageways they knew so well. She headed down to the kitchens, tickling the pair on the picture and smiling when it giggled before swinging open.

"Hello, Miss," said a squeaky voice. "What can Sparks do for Miss?"

"Some eggs and toast would be lovely, Sparks," Isabella told the elf kindly and the creature nodded before rushing off.

Isabella smiled and sat down at one of the stools near the counter. She stared at the countertop as a wave of dizziness hit her again.

"_We bow to each other, Harry," said Voldemort, bending a little, but keeping his snakelike face upturned to Harry. "Come, the niceties must be observed… Dumbledore would like you to show manners… Bow to death, Harry…"_

_The Death Eaters were laughing and Voldemort was smiling. Harry did not bow. _

"_I said, _bow_," said Voldemort, raising his wand and Harry bent forward, causing the Death Eaters to laugh even harder._

"_Very good," said Voldemort softly, raising his wand and causing the pressure on Harry to lift as well. "And now you face me, like a man… straight-backed and proud, the way your father died…"_

"Izzy!"

It was Remus.

She blinked for a moment before placing a hand against her throbbing head. "Yes, Remus?"

"I just thought you would want to see this," he said softly, passing her the _Daily Prophet._

_The Carson family_

_The Libera family._

_The Sweendesa family._

_They've all been wiped out by Voldemort and his Death Eaters in the span of one night, Isabella thought angrily, dropping the paper on the counter._

"It's okay, love," Remus soothed, placing his hand on hers. "Dumbledore was looking for you. He's already grabbed Sirius and James."

"Why was he looking for me?" she asked. "Does he want me to tell Sirius and James the… the truth?"

Remus shook his head. "I think it's something else."

It was something else, all right. The tension in Dumbledore's office was palpable and it was obvious the boys were both uncomfortable and clueless as to what was going on. Dumbledore was tense, eyes looking between the two boys and her once she entered. He looked conflicted and for once, it was easy to see he wasn't as young as he had used to be.

"Miss Byrom," he said softly, motion to the last unoccupied chair. "Please sit. There is something very important I must tell the three of you. I'm afraid you won't like what I have to say."

"Professor?" James asked in concern.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, and Miss Byrom," he began. "As you know, Lord Voldemort has wiped out three families just last night. There was, however, another family wiped out, but it was not reported in the newspaper."

Isabella felt a rock settle in her gut. She knew what was coming.

"Who?" asked Sirius, even though he looked like he already knew and James was already blinking back angry tears.

"The Potters."

_**A/N: Thanks to justawriter33, DaizeeG, NinjaWizardGleek15, Ashten Knight, silvermoony77, OliveYew, Kimboolinaa, Louise Foxhall. Bad Wolf, Baybe, and indescribable music for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to Ashten Knight, bethanymarie, Louise Foxhall, and lupinsgirl525 for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to Ashten Knight, bethanymarie, Dean Winchester's Play Thing, MonkeyTantrum, Scarlet Sphinx, SMUSH04, and tygerlily525 for adding this story to their alerts list.**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was from the movie Grown Ups said by Becker Feder.**_

_**Just tell me the name of the MOVIE/TV SHOW and the name of the CHARACTER to get a preview of the next chapter.**_

"_**Scat happens, man."**_

_**Review because reviews are better than having Death Eaters wipe out your family!**_

_**~Cherry**_


	17. Loss Hits Home

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Sixteen: Loss Hits Home_

Isabella could feel a tear slid down her face as she finally processed Dumbledore's words. The family who had done so much to help her was gone. James had no family left. She and Sirius, although not the Potters children, had been like adopted family to them and the loss struck them all just the same. Hard.

"Voldemort killed them?" James asked, a small hint of anger in his otherwise monotone voice.

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Mr. Potter. The Dark Mark had been cast above the house. There is no doubt this was Lord Voldemort's work."

James' fists clenched, and Isabella looked at her friend, wishing that she could have known about this. The books had never been clear on what happened to James's parents, but she never would have thought they were murdered. They were getting rather old, after all, even if they weren't nearly as old as most wizards.

"You're lying," James finally whispered, grabbing for his bag. "You're lying!"

"James," Isabella caught his arm as he passed her. "Don't do this to yourself. You know Dumbledore wouldn't lie. Not about this."

James glared at her for a moment before yanking his arm from her and storming out of Dumbledore's office, slamming the door behind him.

"He just needs time," said Dumbledore kindly. "This loss has hit home and now James feels he should have prevented it. However, this was meant to be," he added, casting a look at Isabella. "Nothing would have changed it."

Isabella and Sirius nodded, reaching for their bags as they stood, whispering goodbyes to the Headmaster before leaving the office.

**- X -**

"Byrom," Mulciber said about half way through Potions class. "If you need somewhere to stay during the Easter holidays, my family is always willing to take in stray Mudblood whores."

She didn't reply to him, but she could see Remus stiffen in his seat across the room from the corner of her eye. She just didn't have the spirit to argue with Mulciber that day. Word of the Potters' deaths had already traveled the school, and everywhere she, James, and Sirius turned, someone was watching them with pity.

"Of course," he continued, eyeing her body. "You would have to work for it."

James, who was sitting at the table in front of them, whirled around and grabbed Mulciber by his robes, pulling back his fist as if to deck the Slytherin.

"James, stop," Isabella said quietly, noticing they had drawn the attention of their classmates and Professor Slughorn, who watched with a blank expression.

"Apologize to her," James growled.

Mulciber smirked. "Or what, Potter? Going to sick your Mummy and Daddy on me? Oh, wait! You can't!"

Isabella frowned. It was low, even for a Slytherin, to take a jab at someone who was dead.

"Don't you dare go after my parents," James hissed, releasing Mulciber. "They were better people than you will _ever _be."

"Let it go, mate," Remus advised, wrapping his arm around Isabella's waist. His eyes were narrowed on Mulciber, and it was obvious he was forcing himself to stay calm. "He's not going to apologize to Izzy. We all know that."

James snorted and grabbed his bag, leaving as soon as the bell rang.

James, Sirius, and Isabella all skipped the rest of their classes for the week, staying caught up on work and assignments because of Remus and Lily. It wasn't until two days later on Friday, at the evening Quidditch practice, that the first glimpse of the old James appeared. He was geared up and ready to take on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team the next day, lecturing the Gryffindor players and giving the a pep talk that night in the common room after they had all gotten ready for bed.

"Sirius, Alex, you guys _have _to cover Izzy," James told his Beaters. "Ravenclaw are being brutal this year - You saw how they flattened Hufflepuff. They'll go for the cheap shots when it comes to her. Don't let her get hit."

Sirius nodded. "We'll take care of her, James, don't worry."

"Good," James smiled before looking down at his watch. "Ten 'o clock. Off to bed, team!"

_Where us my fucking dress!_

_How the hell should I know!_

_No one but you has been near my closet today, Marlene!_

_Whatever, Alice! You're just being a drama queen and trying to start shit!_

_Marlene. WHERE. IS. MY. DRESS!_

Isabella sighed and stared at the stairs that led to the girl's dorm. She managed to find common ground with both Marlene and Alice but the girls had yet to forgive each other.

"Izzy?" James called from the boys' staircase. "Go to bed."

She grumbled, turning on her heel and settling back down on the couch. "I'll stay here, thanks. There's no way I'll get any sleep with Alice and Marlene fighting."

He rolled his eyes. "Come on. Remus will let you have his bed while he takes the floor. You won't get a good night's sleep on the couch, either."

She hesitated as they disappeared up the stairs before finally standing and following after the, She was already dressed for bed and James _was _right about the common room couch being uncomfortable.

Remus answered the door when she knocked and the pallet he had made for himself on the floor was visible from where she stood. He let her in, smiling at her lovingly and taking her hand in his, lacing their fingers.

"I can take the pallet, Remus," she said as they walked over to his bed hand in hand. "I'd hate to take your bed from you."

"Don't worry about it," he shrugged. "It's no big deal."

"Why don't you both share the bed?" Peter mumbled from under his covers.

Sirius snickered. "Izzy's too much of a prude to agree. And Remus is too… Remus-y."

The couple glared at Sirius who did nothing but laugh at their red faces.

Isabella woke up before James' alarm the next morning, which was set to go off at eight with the match starting at noon. She carefully used her foot to open the curtain around Remus's bed and nearly groaned when she saw the time.

7:30.

She sighed quietly, so as not to disturb her sleeping boyfriend. She needed to get back to her dorm before the girls woke up, especially that blabbermouth, Marlene. She sat up in the bed and carefully placed one leg over Remus and out the curtain onto the floor. She was reaching to draw back the curtains and get up when his hand suddenly caught hers. She met his gaze, a blush spreading across her face when she realized she was straddling him.

He leaned up, catching her lips with his in a searing kiss. She let her arms wrap and around his neck and slowly brought her leg back up onto the bed while his arms immediately went around her waist. The snog grew more passionate the longer it continued. Remus and Isabella were quickly losing themselves in each other.

"NO SNOGGING!" Sirius suddenly shouted, opening the curtains around the bed.

Isabella quickly fell back onto her side of the bed, hiding her red face in Remus's side, ignoring the throbbing of her swollen lips as the other three Marauders laughed at their expense.

"Izzy, its eight-fifteen," Peter said helpfully and she leapt from the bed.

"Shit!" she shouted before running for the door and down the boys stairs, turning to run up the girls when she reached the common room.

She stopped outside the door to her room and slowly opened it, carefully not to make too much noise. Lily and Alice were both still in their beds but Marlene's was empty, the sound of the sink running coming from the closed bathroom door. Izzy crept over to her closet and pulled out her Quidditch robes, slipping them on over her pajamas and running her fingers through her messy hair before putting it up in a high ponytail.

"Where have you been?"

Isabella jumped and turned to face Marlene, who was watching her skeptically. "What do you mean?"

Marlene rolled her eyes. "Please, Izzy, I was up till midnight and you weren't back. I know James makes the team go to bed at ten every night before a game. So where were you and why weren't you here this morning?"

Isabella shifted uncomfortable and glanced at the clock. She had to be in the Gryffindor locker rooms at eight thirty and she only had five minutes to get there. "Marlene, I was sleeping in the common room."

"No you weren't, I checked."

_Well damn, _Isabella thought and then felt a shiver of fear when that glint appeared in Marlene's eye.

"You stayed in the boy's dorm," she said quietly. "You slept with Remus."

"Marlene," Isabella began angrily. "Yes, I stayed in the boy's dorm, and yes, I slept with Remus. But that was all we did - _sleep._"

Marlene snorted. "Likely story. You're such a fucking whore, Iz. You've only been dating him for a couple weeks!"

"For the love of Merlin, Marlene, leave me alone!" Isabella snapped and turned for the door. "And don't you dare start spreading rumors. I'll know it was you."

And with that, she walked out.

_**A/N: Thanks to cArLySTAR15, justawriter33, Bad Wolf Baybe, Gloo 1997, DaizeeG, and popcrone818 for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to Godric-Gryffindor 09, JaspersCherry, kmccartneyyyy, MissScarlet202, Night-Storms, popcrone818, PrInCeRaYnElL, and SMUSH04 for adding this story to their alerts. Thanks to carlaFR, EvilPurpleCookiePenkeyMonguin, Grace Adara Black, Morphine black, popcrone818, and SMUSH04 for adding this story to their favorites.**_

_**Tell me the name of the movie/TV show the following quote is from and the name of the character who said it to get a preview of the next chapter.**_

"_**You don't step in to love, you fall in. Head over heels. Have you ever seen someone fall head over heels in love? It's ugly, bro. Toxic, septic."**_

_**~Cherry**_


	18. Raven's Flight

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Seventeen: Raven's Flight_

"AND THEY'RE OFF!" Marlene shouted as the players on both Quidditch teams kicked off from the ground. "Gryffindor Chaser, Erik Files, with the Quaffle. Ravenclaw Chaser, Michael Files, Erik's brother, is hot on his tail. Files shoots! Blocked by Ravenclaw's Keeper, Gregory Smith!"

Isabella flew above the other players, scanning the pith for any sign of the familiar golden Snitch. It was times like these when she wished the Slytherins wouldn't wear so much gold to the matches as it would often confuse the Seekers.

A Bludger zipped up, narrowly missing the handle of her broom. The shock of its sudden appearance caused her to jerk back, nearly making her tumble off the back end of her broom.

"GRYFFINDOR SCORES!"

Isabella smiled as she quickly regained her balance and flew a few feet higher. There was no sign of the Snitch and she didn't want the game to last for too long. Ravenclaw's Seeker, Raven Whitaker, was beginning to look frustrated at the fact the Snitch hadn't even made an appearance. However, it was only ten minutes into the game.

"GRYFFINDOR SCORES! TWENTY-NIL, GRYFFINDOR!"

Over the next two hours, the scores continued to climb on both side and the current score was Gryffindor 375 and Ravenclaw 300. Both Seekers were looking put out as they continued circling the pitch. A flash of gold just above the ground grabbed her attention, and she dove.

"Isabella Byrom spots the Snitch and goes into a dive!" Marlene commented. "Byrom is Gryffindor's Seeker, a seventh year, and quite a risk-taker. Why, just this morning she was sneaking-"

"MARLENE!" Isabella snapped, her eyes darting up and to where the other girl was in the stands, noting the smirk on the blonde's face. Taking her eyes of her goal, however, had been a big mistake and led to her crashing into the ground, her broom rolling away from her when they landed.

"Ouch," Marlene said with fake sympathy. "That had to hurt. And for all you people out there spreading rumors about Iz and the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team - it's not true!"

"Miss McKinnon!" Professor McGonagall warned.

"But Professor, anyone can get grass stains _all _over their back," Marlene replied innocently and snickers rose from the Slytherin and Ravenclaw stands.

"Whore!" Mulciber shouted from somewhere in the crowd of Slytherins.

Isabella remounted her broom, ignoring the jeers from Ravenclaw and Slytherin as angry years blurred her vision. She flew up until she was looking at Marlene, her face beginning to turn a shade of red.

"Bitch!"

Marlene raised one perfectly plucked brow in amusement. "That's Miss Bitch to you, whore."

"Izzy!" James shouted as Gryffindor's latest shot was blocked. "IGNORE HER!"

"Why are you doing this, Marley?" Isabella asked quietly.

Marlene's voice was cold. "Because you stole Remus from me."

_Wait, _Isabella thought. _Marlene liked Remus! That's why she wrecked Frank and Alice, trashed Lily and James, and never seemed happy for me._

"Ravenclaw's Seeker grabs the Snitch!" Marlene's sudden shout drew her attention back to reality, and she felt horrified with letting herself get distracted. "Ravenclaw wins! Four-fifty to three-seventy-five!"

**- X -**

Isabella sat with Remus on the common room couch that night, her head on his shoulder while his hand rubbed her arm comfortingly.

James was in a fit. "Marlene cost us today's game. On the bright side, McGonagall is replacing her as commentator with Alice."

Lily, who was seated on her boyfriend's lap, frowned. "The things she said were completely uncalled for. She's just jealous of you, Izzy."

"She said I stole Remus from her."

Sirius snorted. "You can't steal what she never had. She showed interest in Remus a couple of years ago, but he didn't really like her that way. She would flirt with him, it would make him uncomfortable, and finally he just told her he didn't like her that way and that they could only be friends."

"So she's jealous," Lily concluded. "Figures."

"Just ignore her," Peter chimed. "I mean, we only have - what - four more months of school?"

"Seems like an eternity," Isabella replied dryly. "But I think I can ignore her."

**- X -**

Ignoring Marlene turned out to be easier said than done. In the following two months many rumors about Isabella had spread. From her sleeping with Remus, to her offering services to various male students, to her whoring around for the Slytherins. Things were getting out of hand quickly and as far as Isabella was concerned, Marlene was lucky she hadn't been decked yet.

"Did you hear about Isabella?" a girl whispered as Remus and Isabella walked by. "She slept with Mulciber!"

"Where did you hear that from?" her friend asked.

"Well, I heard it from Cathy who heard it from Arianna, who heard it from Stephanie, who heard it from some Gryffindor girl."

"Some Gryffindor girl, my ass," Isabella hissed through clenched teeth. "From Marlene would be my guess."

"Izzy, ignore it," Remus soothed. "We only have two more months and then we never have to see her again."

"If we get that lucky," Isabella muttered. "Knowing our luck, we'll see her all the time in Diagon Alley every time we go there. And she's going to be in the Order, remember?"

"I forgot," Remus said sheepishly.

"Of course you did," she rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "Final Quidditch match of the year coming up in two weeks. Slytherin vs. Gryffindor, winner takes the Quidditch House Cup. It's so exciting!"

Gryffindor had flattened Hufflepuff in the match and Ravenclaw lost spectacularly to Slytherin and it was coming down to snakes versus lions. Many students said it seemed like a broken record; it always came down to a match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw hadn't played in the finals for ten years.

Remus chuckled. "It's amazing how far we've come this year, isn't it? School's almost over, this coming August will mark you being here for a full year, and so much still ahead of us."

"A year, huh?" Isabella sighed wistfully. "Seems like so much longer."

"There's a lot to come," Remus added.

"Don't remind me," she said quietly. "I still have things I need to do before we can even think of living peaceful lives."

_Something vast, green, and glittering erupted from the patch of darkness Harry's eyes had been struggling to penetrate; it flew up over the treetops and into the sky._

"_What the -?" gasped Ron as he sprang to his feet, staring up at the thing that had appeared._

_It was a colossal skill, comprised of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. It rose higher and higher, blazing in a haze of greenish smoke, etched against the black sky like a new constellation. _

_The world around them erupted with screams._

Isabella paused mid-bite, placing a hand against her forehead as the vision washed over her. There was so much still had left to change, and so little time to change it.

_**A/N: Thanks to justawriter33, cArLySTAR15, GinnyWeasley77, indescribable music, Yukira-Kuchiki, Allycat817, Inkytwilight, mabel, and Bad Wolf Baybe for reviewing. Thanks to Kim O'Neill and ZeLuNatic22 for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to babiix3, dangerouslywrong, LeahHeartsTomRiddle, SMUSH04, SPNfan16, and ZeLuNatic22 for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**Name the character who said the quote and the movie/ TV show the quote is from in order to get a preview of the next chapter!**_

"_**Jeeze, Gale, you've got more lives than a cat."**_

_**This one is from a movie!**_

_**~Cherry**_


	19. Of Quidditch, NEWTs, and Graduation

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Eighteen: Of Quidditch, N.E.W.T.s, and Graduation_

"We need to keep a close eye on Izzy this week," James told the Gryffindor Quidditch team at the last practice before the final match. "The Slytherins know she's a great Seeker, she's only lost once and even then it was a fluke. They're going to try and take her out. We don't have a reserve Seeker, we can't let that happen."

"We know, James, we know," Erik muttered, but was smiling nonetheless. "You've been saying the same things for the passed two weeks. I think it's been drilled into our heads by now."

James frowned, not finding any humor in the situation.

"James, stop being so serious," Isabella teased. "I feel like you doubt my ability to fend off Slytherins myself."

James was muttering again. "You can't even fend off your own roommate; how the bloody hell should I believe you can fend off the entire Slytherin Quidditch team?"

Isabella scowled. "Don't bring that up again. You're lucky I didn't fight back, or I wouldn't be able to play in the game!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," James sighed. "Good thing you stayed on the defensive. Marlene was shooting some pretty nasty spells."

"Don't have to tell me that," Isabella whispered, rubbing her shoulder. "I did get caught by that _Incendio_. Earned a nasty burn and scar from it too."

"But she got detention with Filch all the way until graduation," Sirius said with a grin.

"Izzy!"

The team turned to see Remus and Lily walking toward the group. James and Sirius groaned but Isabella was merely confused at how frantic to the seemed to be. It couldn't be that they thought the Slytherins would get to her, and Marlene wasn't much of a problem anymore. Something else was bothering them.

"What?" she asked, worrying that it had something to do with Voldemort. "What happened?"

"We knew you've been spending all this week preparing for the game on Saturday," Remus began, shifting uneasily. "But you all forgot something very important."

"What that?" Sirius asked, now as confused as she was.

"Next week and the week after," Lily said impatiently. "Don't tell me the entire Gryffindor team forgot!"

"Forgot what?" the entire team chorused.

"N.E.W.T.s."

The team exploded into panic and quickly began to run for the changing rooms.

**- X -**

Study for N.E.W.T.s and practicing for a Quidditch final wasn't as easy as many people made it out to be. Many of the houses had members who had panicked under the pressure of N.E.W.T.s. All except for Ravenclaw, of course. The house for those with great wit and a knack for learning hardly ever buckled under pressure when it came to tests.

"I swear, they aren't human," Isabella muttered as she, Sirius, and James passed by a group of Ravenclaws in the hallway, their noses buried in their Potions books. "Who studies that much? Honestly?"

James and Sirius snickered. "Them obviously."

The Quidditch final was the next day, and balancing with that for their N.E.W.T. studying hadn't turned out exactly perfect, but the three felt they were ready for the tests and were allowing themselves time to relax while Lily, Remus, and amazing, Peter, continued to study frantically.

**- X -**

"The passed two hours have been brutal on both the Slytherin and Gryffindor Quidditch teams, both teams giving it their all in this fight for the Quidditch House Cup," Alice commented as the final match continued. "The current score is 430-450, Slytherin. Gryffindor is not lagging far behind and are quickly gaining on them. Neither Seeker has spotted the Snitch and it doesn't appear the little gold ball will be making an appearance anytime soon. After the Snitch's earlier appearance, it seems to have vanished."

Isabella floated above the other players on her broom holding her right hand against her chest, holding back tears of pain. When the Snitch had made its earlier appearance, she had spotted it and shot after it immediately. She had almost grabbed when one of the Slytherin Beaters had slammed a Bludger straight into her wrist, breaking it. It was swollen, and she was unable to move it. The others hadn't found out yet, she had told them it barely grazed her and she was fine. If they knew she was injured they would want to, and have to, forfeit the match. She wasn't going to let that happen.

"Iz, duck!" Sirius warned and she did so, a Bludger flying right over her back.

"Thanks, Sirius!" she called back before flying up a little higher and beginning to circle the pitch, eyes scanning the area.

"Gryffindor scores!" Alice shouted. "440-450, Slytherin. COME ON GRYFFINDOR!"

"ALICE!" McGonagall warned.

"Sorry, Professor," Alice apologized hastily. "It's not easy to be fair to both houses when yours is one of the ones playing, you know!"

McGonagall sighed, but allowed the slip.

Isabella's eyes shot around the pitch at every flash of hold, which was rather annoying as many of the Slytherins were pulling their gold jewelry trick and she often got distracted by the glint of Alice's engagement ring. She had been happy that Alice and Frank worked things out, Marlene, not so much. Hence why she had been burned on the shoulder.

"AND SLYTHERIN SEEKER GOES INTO A DIVE!" Alice shouted.

Isabella glanced at the Seeker and rolled her eyes. It was the same trick from the first Slytherin vs. Gryffindor game at the beginning of the year. He was trying to trick her with a Wronski Feint. Ever since Mulciber had been kicked off for failing grades, the team Slytherin team hadn't been as good. As much as she hated to admit, if there was one thing Mulciber had been good at, it was Quidditch. None other than Regulus Black, Sirius's younger brother, had replaced him. Which generated a little sibling rivalry on the pitch as Sirius was constantly aiming Bludgers at Regulus - and missing most of the time as Regulus would quickly dodge them.

"Byrom's not fooled by Slytherin," Alice commentated when Sweet had pulled out of his dive. "You'd think they'd learn that she's smarter than that. Gryffindor scores! The score is now tied 450-450!

The Snitch.

It was floating right next to Alice and Isabella couldn't believe she hadn't spotted it before. Had it even been there the whole time? She couldn't remember. Either way, it was there now and she wasn't going to waste any time. She started circling the pitch heading back toward where Alice was in the stands, acting like there was nothing big going on.

"Slytherin Keeper blocks the shot and the Quaffle is now in the hands of Regulus Black!" Alice smiled at her as she passed.

Isabella smiled back and then shot forward, reaching into the space right next to Alice and catching the Snitch in her uninjured hand.

"Well, now," Alice giggled. "Without alerting anyone to the fact that she had spotted the Snitch, Isabella Byrom secures a win for Gryffindor! GRYFFINDOR WINS THE QUIDDITCH HOUSE CUP!"

**- X -**

_Explain the Disillusionment Charm and its purpose._

Isabella paused slightly and thought back to when she had been studying Charms last minute the night before. She couldn't remember if she had read about the Disillusionment Charm, but she allowed herself to write what she thought it was anyway.

_The Disillusionment Charm is a spell that is used to hide something. This spell causes the object to become a kind of chameleon, taking on the appearance of whatever is behind it. It is typically used to hide magical creatures or objects from Muggles._

_Explain the Revulsion Jinx._

_The Revulsion Jinx forces an object or person to release its hold on something, or repels objects with the force of another object._

_What are the ingredients of the Grand Wiggenweld Potion?_

"A trick question," Isabella whispered quietly. "How very Slughorn."

_The ingredients of the Grand Wiggenweld Potion are the same as the regular Wiggenweld Potion: One pint of Horklump juice, 2 drops of Flobberworm Mucus, 7 Chizpurfle fangs, Billywig sting slime, a sprig of mint, Boom Berry juice, one stewed Mandrake, drops of Honeywater, Sloth brain Mucus, Moondew drops, powdered root of asphodel, shredded dittany, Wiggentree bark, Moly petals, Salamander blood, 10 Lion fish spines, a unicorn horn, and one wolfsbane plant. However, to achieve the Grand Wiggenweld Potion, you must add another Wolfsbane plant, a second unicorn horn, and octopus power._

_What is a Mandrake?_

_A Mandrake, also known as Mandragora, is a partially sentient plant with a small amount of intelligence, which has a root that looks like a human. A baby human when the plant is young and matures as the plant grows. Whenever unearthed, the root screams. The scream of a mature Mandrake is deadly to any person who hears it, but a baby Mandrake's scream will only knock a person out for several hours._

The rest of the N.E.W.T.s, although challenging at first, seemed to be getting easier with each question, relaxing frazzled nerves and helping calm the seventh years a great deal. Then came the day when N.E.W.T.s were over and the last day of school was upon them.

"Are you guys all packed?" Lily asked her roommates softly.

Marlene, Alice and Isabella all nodded and a gloomy silence fell upon the room as the four girls all shot looks at each other. While things between the girls had been rocky and full of fight since Christmas break ended, all the girls knew they would miss each other regardless.

"The feast is starting soon," Alice said after a few minutes. "We better go down."

They all walked together for the first time since the fighting began, meeting with the boys in common room. It was the last time they would eat at Hogwarts, the last time they would hear the House Cup being awarded, the last time they would see the teachers - well, that possibly wasn't true - it was the last time they would ever walk the halls of Hogwarts.

Moreover, they would miss it dearly.

_**A/N: Thanks to justawriter33, Bad Wolf Baybe, GinnyWeasley77, indescribable music, Yukira-Kuchiki largetunax3, cArLySTAR15, silvermoony77, and Louise Foxhall got reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to Chronos Sai, LovelyBones1551, Lulu14168, and starchickisagoddess for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to dancingtothebeatles, Ehscapayyy, klutz5637, LovelyBones1551, SMUSH04, and starchickisagoddess for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was from Scream 2 said by Cotton Weary to Gale after she got up from being shot. Yeah, that's right. I am a HUGE Scream fan. You could give me a line from any of the movie (Besides 4, haven't seen it enough times yet) and I could tell you which movie it was, which character said it, and when it was said. I know. I'm such a horror movie dork. XD**_

_**The quote this time is from another movie. Name the movie and character to get a preview of the next chapter.**_

"_**It hurts now, doesn't it? That because you're in my world now, bitch."**_

_**Review because reviews are better than… well, anything, I would assume. Haha.**_

_**~Cherry**_


	20. Outside Those Walls

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Nineteen: Outside Those Walls_

Isabella ran down the streets of Diagon Alley, weaving in an out of people who were trying to quickly finish their shopping, as a large storm loomed overhead. She wanted to put as much distance between the two of them as she could before the streets started emptying. The faster she got to the Leaky Cauldron to meet with her friends and, surprisingly, Marlene, the better. He was still following her, covered in his black cloak. None of the other witches of wizards in Diagon Alley were paying him any attention.

"Isabella," his cold voice drawled. "Why do you run away from me? Do I scare you? Because I should."

Was it just her or was Diagon Alley beginning to get less busy?

"Go away, Lucius," she hissed, spinning around to face him when he caught her arm.

"Why the fuss?" he taunted. "I just wanted to say hello."

"And now you have," she countered, eyes straying to the Leaky Cauldron down the street. "Now, if you'll excuse me -"

Lightning flashed overhead as the storm threatened to break loose.

"- I'm meeting some friends for lunch," she finished. "I really must be going."

He drew his wand as the last person Apparated home. "I'm afraid I can't let you go. You will be coming with us."

"Us?"

She regretted the question almost immediately as many cloaked figures appeared alongside Lucius. They did not lower their hoods, nor did he, for that matter. One of the Death Eaters moved forward and whispered something to Lucius who looked slightly frustrated but Apparated away.

"Don't move," a familiar voice warned as she reached for her wand.

Isabella scowled but carefully held her hands up in surrender. "Not even going to give me a fighting chance, Mulciber? I never took you for a coward."

"And I never took _you _for an idiot," he shot back. "_I think it would be great if you could join us, Izzy. You and Marlene can work out your fights and patch up your friendship! _Who know it would be so easy to copy your friend's handwriting after attending school with her for seven years?"

Isabella paled. "The note was fake."

Mulciber laughed and spat. "Ten points to Gryffin-whore!"

She grabbed her wand and fired the first spell that came to her mind. "_Tarantallegra!_"

The spell missed Mulciber, but it did hit the Death Eater standing behind him, causing him to dance uncontrollably. The others started laughing at their ally, none of them moving an inch to help him. Using this distraction to her advantage, Isabella turned on her heel to run only to be grabbed by a large man with slightly large ears, claw-like fingers, small fanged teeth, and long dark brown hair with tufts of facial hair on his face that resembled fur. He was much younger now than she recognized, but those striking blue eyes she would remember from anything.

"Let me go," she hissed, trying to wrench her arm from him, but he tightened his grip even more. "Let me go, Greyback!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," he said quietly, grinning at her and revealing his yellow teeth. "The Dark Lord wishes for you to grace him with your presence."

"Not likely," she snarled, spitting in his face.

His grip tightened and she winced.

"Well now, that wasn't very lady-like."

"Go. To. Hell."

"Where's the fun in that, pet?" he pulled her closer and she struggled even more, trying desperately to free herself. "We could create our own personal hell. If you so desire, that is. It would be a great ride for both of-"

"_INCENDIO!_"

Greyback let go of her and quickly leapt back as the flames passed between them. They had little effect because of the rain, but the resulting steam gave Isabella just enough cover to get away from the group of Death Eaters and hide in a nearby alcove. She quickly cast a Disillusionment Charm to hide herself and when the steam cleared, she could hear the Death Eaters' shouts of outrage.

_Only two weeks out of school and danger is already closing in, _she thought. _Who knew it was this dangerous outside those walls?_

"No one gets away from me," Greyback sneered. "Let's go. The storm is ending - we no longer have any cover."

It wasn't until the Disapparated that she stepped out from her hiding place. She was shaking and looked around for the person who had saved her. She wasn't completely sure, but it had sounded like…

Peter.

**- X -**

When she had arrived back to Potter Manor, where she, James, and Sirius were all still residing, she did not tell the boys about what had occurred in Diagon Alley. She just quietly announced she wouldn't be at dinner and headed up to her room. She laid there for what seemed like hours, but had only been minutes as she contemplated what had happened.

She had come face to face with the man who had attacked Remus and turned him into a werewolf, and she had done nothing to avenge her love.

She paused. _Her love? _Well, that would explain the intense feelings she felt toward him, but she knew how Remus could be when it came to relationships. He had to be Mr. Careful because of his furry little problem and she wanted him to feel comfortable enough to tell her he loved her. She would wait until he was ready to tell her that. She was perfectly okay with loving him silently.

She rolled over and picked up the _Daily Prophet_, which announced the two Quidditch teams that would be competing in the Quidditch World Cup that was only two months away. It looked like it would be an interesting match up between England and Peru. The two teams had been doing well throughout the year and it had been no surprise when Peru beat France and England was victorious over Africa.

And, for a moment, Isabella stopped worrying about what was to come and decided to focus on the here and now. The tickets were expensive, but she would find some way to get them. Her job at Broomstix paid better than it should, but she had a lot of knowledge about brooms and so they hired her to help with the heavy load at the shop. The elderly owner found her to be a Merlin-send and paid her much more than she deserved. She would ask all of her friends over time if they would loan her a small amounts of money, and with her birthday having passed, she had a bit from that. Maybe if she sold her old school books…

She had it all planned out. They were going to enjoy what little time they could. Even if they had to Portkey all the way to Peru, they would be going to the World Cup that August. It probably wasn't the safest move, but the world wasn't a safe place and it hadn't been so for years. Hogwarts' sturdy walls no longer sheltered them and they would have to stand on their own feet if they were to make it out of this war.

However, Isabella was confident that they could.

_**A/N: Thanks to justawriter33, cArLySTAR15, klutz5637, LovelyBones1551, Bad Wolf Baybe, silvermoony77, GinnyWeasley77, indescribable music, .lover, bekkarific, Gloo1997, mabel, and Yaoi-Beloved for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to .lover and Yaoi-Beloved for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to .lover and SMUSH04 for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**The last quote was said by Nancy from Nightmare On Elm Street.**_

_**Here's the quote for this time. Name the movie/ TV show and character to get a preview of the next chapter.**_

"_**How would you feel about a genital-shocking taser gun?"**_

_**Review because reviews are better than being ambushed by Death Eaters!**_

_**~Cherry**_


	21. The Order of the Phoenix

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_I have been operating this story based upon the NEW zodiac and dates._

**Capricorn:** Jan. 20-Feb. 16.

**Aquarius:** Feb. 16-March 11.

**Pisces:** March 11-April 18.

**Aries:** April 18-May 13.

**Taurus:** May 13-June 21.

**Gemini:** June 21-July 20.

**Cancer:** July 20-Aug. 10.

**Leo:** Aug. 10-Sept. 16.

**Virgo:** Sept. 16-Oct. 30.

**Libra:** Oct. 30-Nov. 23.

**Scorpio:** Nov. 23-29.

**Ophiuchus:** Nov. 29-Dec. 17.

**Sagittarius: **Dec. 17 - Jan. 20

So I hope this clears up any confusion as to why Isabella is a Taurus when her birthday falls on June 12. Thanks for all who offered correction to it, but I hope now you see how it was so.

_Chapter Twenty: The Order of the Phoenix_

"If you want something fast, I would have to recommend this," Isabella said, showing a customer over to the newest broomstick the store had received. "It's the Nimbus 1700, only came out last week. If you want a Nimbus broom that's slightly safer, I would the Nimbus 1500. Still fast, but not as hard to control."

"Hm," the man mused. "How much for the 1700? I have practices starting soon."

"Oh? Are you a professional player?" Isabella asked, grabbing one of the brooms from the top shelf. "Follow me. This is a pretty pricy one. Four hundred and fifty six Galleons."

"Signed by England's National Team five years ago when I graduated from Hogwarts," he replied, reaching for the bag of money stuffed inside his robes. "Looking forward to the World Cup this year?"

"Not going," she muttered, taking the bag to count out the cost of the broom. "I wanted to buy tickets for me and my friends, but I can't come up with enough money to pay for nine people. Not when tickets are a thousand galleons a piece."

He paused. "Well, I'm sure you'll think of something…?"

"Isabella," she replied, and then handed him back his bag. "There you go. All paid for."

"Thank you," he grabbed the broom and walked out.

She sighed. Maybe hoping that he would have offered her the tickets free was a bit farfetched. After all, this was life, not some fairytale. With a shake of her head, she sat down in the chair behind the register. It was a slow day, as no one had been to Diagon Alley since the large storm three days before. She still had just under two months to get the money, but how was she going to get nine thousand galleons working at Broomstix? She had tried borrowing money, but that hadn't really worked as none of the others had any to spare.

"None to spare my ass, James Potter," she muttered. "I've seen your vault."

She knew what he was doing, however, so she let it slide. It was easy to tell her had been looking at rings in order to propose to Lily. She had seen him wandering around Diagon Alley's jewelry store just hours before. As she thought about the proposal situation, she remembered that all the guys had been with him, looking at rings.

_Peter saved me that day, _she frowned. _But why? The Peter I've read about and the Peter I've known are so different… Could he really be a traitor? Have I changed things without even trying too?_

She frowned; she couldn't think why Peter would save her. They weren't exactly close and she couldn't help but think he had already started getting into things involving the dark arts. He was more skittish than usual and that was a major warning sign. So far, he hadn't started wearing long sleeves, so he wasn't an official Death Eater.

_However, that doesn't always mean anything, _she reminded herself. _Greyback serves Voldemort and doesn't have a mark. Then again, Voldemort's not very fond of Greyback…_

She heard the back door open and turned to see the owner, an elderly wizard named Richard Broomstix, enter the shop.

"Isabella?" he asked, squinting his eyes at her. "I thought I told you to take off an hour ago. You've been working very hard lately."

"It's no problem, Mr. B," she replied, smiling at him. "I need the money if I want to surprise all my friends with those World Cup tickets."

The elderly wizard chuckled. "Don't run yourself into the ground over those tickets. There will be plenty more World Cups."

She shrugged. "I guess that's true."

"Now you get on home."

"Yes sir."

**- X -**

"How was work?" Remus questioned as she appeared in the living room of Potter Manor.

"It was good," she smiled, walking over to sit next to him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder and snuggle into him. "Tiring, but good. I sold a broom to a man who pays for the England's National Quidditch Team."

"The one going to the World Cup?" Remus asked. "Well, what an accomplishment."

"Don't be sarcastic," she chided, but smiled. "How'd job hunting go?"

He sighed. "Until we get our N.E.W.T. results in a week, no one will really hire. And that on top of my furry little problem…"

"Hey," she cut him off. "As long as you're a hard worker, a nice guy, and have a good head on your shoulder, someone will hire you. Not everyone is as prejudiced as you believe, Remus."

"I know," he smiled slightly. "I think you and the guys are starting to get through to me."

"Good," she grinned. "Someone needs to break through your thick skull."

He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her gently. She let her arms weave around his neck, her finger immediately burying themselves in his soft sandy colored hair. The kiss heated up quickly and her hands soon left his hair and traveled under his shirt. His lips were kissing her neck, nipping occasionally at her sensitive spot.

"NO SHAGGING IN MY LIVING ROOM!"

Isabella yelped and pulled back, falling from Remus' lap and onto the floor. She looked toward the entrance to the living room and glared at a smirking James while Sirius ran around behind him, eyes covered.

"MY EYES!" Sirius wailed. "MY POOR, INNOCENT, VIRGIN EYES!"

"Virgin eyes my bloody ass!" Isabella snapped, snorting when Sirius ran into the wall. "SERVES YOU RIGHT, YOU BLOODY PRICK!"

Remus sighed. "I swear, if this ever happens in public. I don't know any of you."

There was a knock on the door.

They all paused, hearing Peter open the door.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir!" Peter squeaked. "What are you doing here?"

The door closed and soon Peter and Dumbledore stood before them. The elderly wizard had a grave look in his eyes.

"I wish to speak to you all about an organization fighting against Voldemort," he began. "It's called the Order of the Phoenix…"

_**A/N: Thanks to Bad Wolf Baybe, justawriter33, GinnyWeasley77, cArLySTAR15, MegartXD, Inkytwilight, silvermoony77, SMILEH123, indescribable music, and LovelyBones1551 for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to brenluvshp, MegartXD, SHINee4ever, SMILEH123, xXxFantasyAmorexXx, and Yaoi-Beloved for adding this story to their favorites.**_ _**Thanks to Icy4aReason, Inkytwilight, MegartXD, Radioactive-Nerd-Love-Scene, SMILEH123, SMUSH04, and That Freak for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was said by Gracie Hart in the movie Miss Congeniality 2. So congrats to Inkytwilight for getting it.**_

_**Here's this chapter's quote! Name the character who said it and the movie for a preview of next chapter!**_

"_**Hey… crotchmouth! Yeah, you! Zip it, of I'll come up there and zip it for ya!"**_

_**Review because reviews are better than… than really expensive World Cup tickets!**_

_**(AND JUST BECAUSE I AM SUPER HAPPY ABOUT IT I THOUGHT I'D SHARE! I GOT A CAR!)**_

_**~Cherry**_


	22. The Attack Of Potter Manor

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Twenty One: The Attack of Potter Manor _

"I see we are all here," Dumbledore said. "The meeting will now begin."

Isabella glanced around at the many people she and her friends had just been introduced too. They had arrived for their first meeting as members to the Order of the Phoenix. Alice, Frank, and Marlene were also present, looking just as unnerved as they did, even though they were glad to be there.

The headquarters was located in a large house near the outskirts of Muggle London. It was a good choice, seeing as many of the residents nearby thought the house was haunted thanks to the charms causing it appear and disappear because they often got weaker and had to be fixed. The members sat together at a large table in the kitchen.

Isabella had placed herself between Sirius and Remus, not willing to sit next to anyone she hadn't really gotten to know yet.

Near the front of the table, Dumbledore stood a small smile and serious twinkle in his eyes. His brother, Aberforth sat next to him. Aberforth Dumbledore looked exactly like how he was described, albeit a tad bit younger. He still had a great deal of long great hair and a long gray beard, was grumpy looking, wore glasses, and shared his brother's bright blue eyes. To Aberforth's left was Arabella Figg with grizzled flyaway hair and who wore a hair net and tartan carpet slippers. One Dumbledore's right was Alastor Moody.

_He looks as mad as I remember him being described as, Isabella thought, letting her eyes continue around the table._

Benjy Fenwick was a young man, only a few years older than they were, and he had gorgeous amber colored eyes that blended well with his soft brown hair. Sitting next to him was Dorcas Meadowes, a girl who had graduated just three years prior to them, with long black hair and clear blue eyes. Elphias Doge occupied the seat next to her and on his right was Fabian Prewett and then Gideon Prewett. Looking at the two, Isabella could tell they were the influence on their nephews pranking. The Prewett twins had shown that they were jokers when they had met her, putting an exploding Dungbomb in Moody's shoe and giving the older wizard a rather… noticeable foot odor. Next to Gideon was Marlene and then Professor McGonagall. The ever so fidgety Mundungus Fletcher sat next to her, trying to find something of value he could smuggle out. Hagrid was next to him and the last was Sturgis Podmore.

On her side of the table, on Arabella's left was Caradoc Dearborn, a wizard who appeared in his mid-twenties, and was a very kind soul. On his left was Edgar Bones, a man in his later thirties, who appeared kind, but had a large temper. Emmeline Vance sat next to him, her long brown hair falling down her back as she looked around at the newcomers with curious brown eyes. Then it was Frank, Alice, James, Lily, Sirius, herself, Remus, and then Peter.

"As you all know," Dumbledore began, immediately drawing their attention. "We have received word of a planned attack on Muggle London, just a few miles from here. Whether this attack will happen or not is unknown. I will set up teams of three to guard Muggle London each day and night, and if the attack does happen, call for the rest of the Order by use of Patronus. The first shift tonight will be assigned to Lily, Isabella and Alice."

"Albus," Moody said gruffly. "Is that wise? They're not very experienced."

"It's their inexperience that will give them the upper hand, Alastor," said Dumbledore wisely.

Remus, James and Frank weren't fond of the idea either. They all spoke at once and loudly, causing much confusion and, for the girls, annoyance.

"We can do it, Dumbledore," Lily interrupted.

"Yeah," Alice nodded.

"Count on us," Isabella added, sending the boys a scathing look. "We can take care of ourselves, boys."

The first two weeks flew by, with the girls watching Muggle London every Monday night, Wednesday night, Friday during the day, and Saturday night. There were no attacks and with the next day being their day off, they had planned to go shopping in Muggle London.

"The boys are a little bummed," Alice chuckled as they got on the Muggle Underground. "Although, I'm sure they'd rather guard Muggle London than carry our shopping bags."

"They totally ditched on guarding yesterday," Isabella said, frowning. "I found them at Broomstix, drooling over that new broom. Moody told them that if they ever do that again, he will transfigure them into bugs and have them squashed."

"So that's why James was shaking like a leaf when he got home yesterday," said Lily.

The girls exchanged glances and busted out laughing at the looks that had been on the boys' faces when they returned home.

"We're awful girlfriends," Alice giggled.

"Nah, we're not awful," Isabella argued. "We're just not nice enough to them."

**- X -**

Isabella sat on the couch in the living room of Potter Manor, listening to the boys wrestling playfully upstairs. There was a loud crash and a shouted 'SORRY!' before the rumble of feet on the stairs. She rolled her eyes and flipped to the next page of Witch Weekly. She was stuck there with the boys while Lily, Marlene, and the Prewett twins were out guarding Muggle London, seeing as Elphias and Dorcas had backed out at the last minute and the twins couldn't go alone.

"IZZY!" Sirius shouted, hitting the bottom of the stairs, the other boys close behind. "We're leaving now!"

"Have a good full moon, boys," she murmured, reading the article. "Don't let Remus beat you up too much this time."

"Nah, we'll be fine," James said, the bruise from the last full moon finally beginning to vanish from his cheek. "The only reason we got hurt last time was because -"

"Because you idiots left the forest."

"Right," he agreed sheepishly. "Anyway, we're putting up the Anti-Apparition wards as we leave. Therefore, no one will be able to Apparate in or out. And the protective spells are already-"

"I know, James," she cut him off and looked up at the four boys. "Go. I'll have breakfast ready for you all in the morning."

"I want pancakes!" said Sirius.

She shook her head. "No. Remus, what do you want?"

"No fair, Izzy!" Sirius whined. "You always make what Remus wants!"

She glared at him coldly and he smiled nervously.

"Uh… whatever Remus wants is fine."

Twenty minutes later, the house was finally quiet and Isabella curled up on the couch, staring into the fireplace. She could feel her tiredness falling over her and she let her eyes closed, knowing she would only need a short nap and determined not to sleep all night.

Two hours before the boys were set to return, Death Eaters set fire to the house, Isabella still sleeping peacefully inside.

_**A/N: Thanks to Bad Wolf Baybe (Yes, Wolf, we all know you will always be a Libra! xD), GinnyWeasley77, SMILEH123, Radioactive-Nerd-Love-Scene, mistofan, Mercy'sFoundaWayforMe, cArLySTAR15, AriesAriels, and silvermoony77. Thanks to Cii-Chan and mistofan for adding this story to their favorites list. Thanks to AriesAriels, Fionn Rose, and Latina shewolf for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was from The Blind Side. Said by Leigh Anne Touhy.**_

_**Here's this chapters quote! Name the movie and the character to get a preview of the next chapter!**_

"_**Well, the solution would be to kiss me then kill me but I have a better solution… I kill you!"**_

"_**Perhaps we can find another solution!"**_

_**There a two characters who must be named. :D**_

_**Review because reviews are better than burning manors! (Or are they?)**_

_**~Cherry**_


	23. The Clock Is Ticking

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Twenty Two: The Clock Is Ticking_

The boys stood on the front lawn, staring at the burned remains of Potter Manor while Aurors worked quickly all around them, putting out the flames and searching inside for Isabella. The house had nearly been destroyed by the time the Apparated back home, and they had quickly sent a Patronus to the Ministry, asking for assistance.

They had yet to find her.

"Izzy!" Remus shouted, walking the grounds. "ISABELLA!"

He listened carefully but there was no answer. The others were also walking around, calling her name just as he was, but also receiving no answer. The Aurors who had been searching the house exited from the collapsed front door and shot the boys sorry looks, signaling the girl was not inside. They spoke quickly to James who nodded and then the Aurors Apparated away, for there was nothing left they could do.

Remus ran a hand through his hair, fearing she had been captured. "What if they have her?"

James shook his head. "No way, Remus. Don't think like that."

"James, she's missing," he snapped. "What else am I supposed to assume?"

"GUYS!" Sirius shouted.

They ran over to their friend who was crouched near a cluster of bushes in the garden. Hidden between the two bushes, its black tail curled around its front paws and its large green eyes watching them warily was a black fox. Remus looked at the animal with interest because black foxes were very hard to find in Britain now that hunters went after them for their color. The small fox glanced at him and then ran around Sirius, leaping up and climbing to Remus' shoulder, its small body shaking like a leaf.

"What the -?" he muttered, reaching to grab the fox. He held the small creature in his arms, it was rather small for a fox, but what drew his attention were the eyes.

They were Isabella's.

"Izzy?" he asked and the fox gave a small yip.

"You see," Sirius began sheepishly. "I might have - well, back around Christmas, Izzy asked me to help her… and I agreed. She was really good at transforming, and around May, she was able to get the tail and paws to appear. I guess it was a spur of the moment thing and she changed in a panic."

"But that's dangerous!" James argued. "Transforming when panicked is dangerous, Sirius. She might not be able to change back for weeks!"

"_Thank you, captain obvious!_" Isabella snapped, although he couldn't understand her. "_As if I didn't already know that. I can't help that I panicked._"

James glanced at her, smirking as if he knew what she was saying. "Yeah, yeah, Iz."

Remus sighed. "Well, we'll just have to wait for her to change back, won't we?"

"You're not mad?" Sirius asked. "I thought you didn't want Iz to even consider learning to become an Animagus?"

"I didn't," Remus agreed. "But because she didn't listen, she saved her own life. I can't really hold that against her, now can I?"

"_Nope!_" Isabella yipped and licked his cheek swiftly, causing him to chuckle.

"Of course," he continued. "Now that she's an Animagus, she deserves a name, doesn't she?"

The other three boys grinned and exchanged looks, that made Isabella yip warily. She was okay with getting a nickname, but it had better not be something ridiculous.

**- X -**

_Kit. That's honestly the best they could come up with? _Isabella growled under her breath, her head on her paws in front of the fire in the room the boys had gotten at the Leaky Cauldron.

"What's up, Kit?" James chuckled, knowing she disliked the nickname. "There's not much we could call you. Foxes are hard to choose names for."

She snarled at him, her teeth glistened.

"Okay, okay," he muttered, raising his hands in surrender. "We'll keep trying. Geez."

She scowled and went to lay her head back down when she heard something. Cocking her head to the side, she let her hearing focus in on what was being said downstairs.

_The Minister was saying…_

_He totally doesn't deserve you, Cal. Not if he…_

_The Dark Lord must be happy. Byrom has been taken care of._

She jumped up and ran over to the closest Marauder, Sirius, and began tugging violently at his pant leg. He looked down at her, confused but shrugged and went back to playing Remus in Wizard's Chess. She yipped in annoyance and tugged again, running toward the door and spinning around in a couple of circles.

"I think Kit wants out, Remus," he muttered, moving on of his pieces.

Remus looked up at her. "Kit?"

She yipped again and scratched at the door before pausing and tilting her head again.

_It is all well and good now that the girl is gone. She can no longer interfere with the Dark Lord's plans._

Sirius stood and walked over, opening the door for her. She zoomed out of the room and toward the stairwell, quickly leaping down them as fast as her small fox-like body would allow. She reached the bottom step and ducked behind a nearby trashcan, allowing her eyes to search for the Death Eaters who were in the crowded pub.

Mulciber, Malfoy, and Yaxley.

She growled slightly and carefully slunk from where she was hiding, using the tables for cover until she was sitting under their table, listening carefully to what they discussed.

"Now that Byrom is out of the way, the Dark Lord can commence with his next attack," Malfoy said quietly to his companions. "As far as he knows, she told no one about what she knew. It was unlikely anyone would believe her."

Mulciber snorted. "Of course not, how mad would it sound to you if Narcissa claimed to be from another world and knew everything about the past, present, and future?"

The three shared a laugh, and she growled under her breath.

_Looks like you losers are out of luck, _she thought with a wicked, fox-like grin. _Messing with a fox is a big mistake. One you will dearly regret._

She turned and ran from under the table back to the stairs, stopping halfway up to glance back. When she did, she noticed with shock that Mulciber's amber eyes were locked on her own hazel eyes, a cold smirk on his face as he listened to Malfoy and Yaxley talk.

He whispered something under his breath. "Careful who you trust, Byrom."

She gave a small yip and narrowed her eyes on him, wondering how he could know it was her. Then what he said clicked.

She only had five months until the 1979 began; there was only five months left before Peter would become Voldemort's new spy.

The clock was ticking.

_**A/N: Thanks to Bad Wolf Baybe, AriesAriels, MegartXD, SMUSH04, xForgetMeNot95, GinnyWeasley77, and silvermoony77 for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to LillyLupinXD for adding this story to her favorites. Thanks to ALICEBRODA and LillyLupinXD for adding this story to their alerts. **_

_**QUESTION: Seriously, though, fox names are hard to come up with. Do you guys think you can lend some aid? Much appreciated if you can!**_

_**The quote from last chapter was from the movie Prince of Persia said by Tamina and Prince Dastan.**_

_**This chapter's quote is from another movie. It should be an easy one for people usually see this movie a lot around Christmas and I'm pretty sure almost everyone has seen it at least once. (I've seen it like, fifty, but it is one of my favorite movies!)**_

"_**No, for three reasons: A, I'm not that lucky. Two, we use smoke detectors and D, we live on the most boring street in the whole United States of America, where nothing even remotely dangerous will ever happen. Period."**_

_**Please review because reviews are better than being trapped in Animagus form! (Or are they!)**_

_**~Cherry**_

_**P.S. : My summer officially starts next Monday and 2:00 PM. Prepare for updates to come out at least every day, every other day at the most!**_


	24. Spy Fox

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Twenty Three: Spy Fox_

Isabella yipped in annoyance, trying to get the others to understand what she was angry about. They just watched her in amusement, thinking she was playing around and enjoying her time as a fox. She finally walked over to James, who was laughing at her antics, and bit his leg. Hard.

"Ow!" he yelped, pulling his leg away. "The hell, Kit?"

She yipped, eyes narrowed.

"Bloody hell, she bites hard," he muttered, rubbing his ankle. "She's lucky she didn't break skin."

"_Oh, like you'd do anything about it,_" Isabella growled. "_You'd be too worried about hurting me._"

Sirius was frowning at her. "Is this because we nearly burned down the Leaky? We apologized for that already!"

"_No, this is not about your horrible cooking skills that got us thrown out of the Leaky Cauldron!_" she growled, flicking her tail in irritation. "_This is about the fact you threw away a letter containing Quidditch World Cup tickets because you were half asleep and not thinking!_"

She ran over to the trashcan and tipped it over, grabbing the letter when it fell out. She ran back over to Remus and pawed at his leg, dropping it at his feet. He seemed confused as he reached down and picked up the letter, but he opened and reached inside, pulling out the nine tickets she had worked hard to get.

"Quidditch World Cup tickets!" James yelped, snatching them from Remus's hand as Sirius ran over excitedly. "No way, Kit!"

She barked and flicked her tail happily when she was picked up in a hug. "_Yes, yes, I am a great friend, we all know it._"

"Don't get full of yourself," James chuckled, plopping her back down. "I can hear you complementing yourself as if you were human."

"I can't believe you bought us World Cup tickets!" Sirius grinned. "They cost a bloody fortune! And you bought so many."

"Well she has been pulling long hours at Broomstix, and got a second job waitressing for Tom at the Leaky Cauldron," Remus mused. "So, it's no surprise she was able to talk them into giving her raises, add the tips from customers at the Leaky on top of that and you have nine World Cup tickets."

The fox was nodding along to Remus's every word, a smug look on her face. She had narrowly managed to afford the tickets but she was glad she had.

"But there are nine tickets, meaning she bought one for each of us," Peter interrupted. "But she can't go. I don't think they let pets into the stands."

She yipped, her ears falling sadly. As much as she hated it, Peter was right about pets not being allowed in the stands during the game. In addition, they couldn't exactly tell anyone she was an Animagus because she was unregistered and it would land her in Azkaban.

"Well," Remus said. "We have two weeks until the game. We can get her changed back by then."

**- X -**

If Remus still had any optimism about getting her changed back into her human form in time for the game, it had vanished. Her friends were all set to leave by Portkey that night with the game starting the next morning. They had been working hard the last two weeks trying to change her back, and they had come close quite a few times, but it never happened.

"_Yeah, go, have fun. Forget all about Izzy,_" the fox sighed and laid sprawled out on the couch, the boys watching the small creature sadly.

"We're sorry you can't go, Kit," James said sympathetically.

The small fox whined. She had really grown to love Quidditch since she had arrived in their world and missing her first World Cup was depressing. The next one was still four years away.

"We'll be back as soon as the match ends, Izzy," Remus comforted, reaching down to pat her on the head. "Don't leave the house."

"_Right,_" she rolled her eyes and flicked her tail in acknowledgement. "_Because we all know I'll stay here. You people are dreaming. This fox is an adventurer, not a stay at home pet._"

The boys all gathered at the front door, preparing for their walk to the abandoned Muggle Orphanage a few streets away. Once the door shut behind them, Isabella hoped off the couch and grabbed her wand from where it had been sitting on the coffee table for the past month a half. She had grown accustomed to her fox body and had managed to use the Floo while in her animal form. Now if only she could do magic.

With a sigh, she walked over to the fireplace, wand gripped tightly in her mouth. She knocked over the Floo Powder jar and scooped some into the fireplace with her paw before stepping in and yipping. The flames roared to life, signaling that her request had been accepted and she felt herself come out in the Leaky Cauldron's fireplace.

_If the boys get to have fun and party in Peru for the next two days, I get to play spy fox and prance around Diagon Alley and Knockturn to find out some dirt on the Dark Arts, _she thought, darting through the crowd and out the door as it opened.

The cold night air ruffled her fur, but thanks to her fox body, she hardly felt the chill. She walked carefully down the streets, there were not many shoppers out since it was late and those that were there paid no attention to her, probably taking her to be someone's pet or an escaped animal from Magical Menagerie. The animal shop just down the street that hosted a wide variety of different animals from poisonous orange snails to Kneazles.

She walked down to where the entrance to Knockturn Alley began and then hesitated just briefly before stepping into the darkness, her fox eyes glowing in the darkness. Being an animal with such sharp eye-site was definitely handy; she just hoped she didn't run into anyone who could easily recognize her.

She walked around aimlessly for a few moments, peering into the windows of shops and checking to see if anyone was inside. Most of them were closed, which was odd for Knockturn Alley. Most of the dealings in the Dark Arts usually happened at night, so she was confused as to why they would be closed. After a couple of minutes walking, she saw the lights on in Borgin and Burkes. Keeping low to the ground she slowly walked forward.

"The giants have been convinced, my Lord," Mulciber's voice rang through the silent night. "They have agreed to lend hand in the Invasion of Britain."

Isabella immediately felt a thought pop into her head. The Invasion of Britain had been a large battle in the First Wizarding War that turned things in favor of the Order, although many of the members and others would be lost, it was one of the biggest wins for the Order and ultimately led to Voldemort's downfall.

"The werewolves have also joined us, my Lord," Greyback's rotten voice made her flinch. "They were not hard to convince. I merely told them of what you promised us."

"Very good," hissed a snake-like voice. "Very good indeed. The Invasion of Britain is still many months away; we must make smaller strikes before then. Lessen the Order's numbers. Get rid of their strongest members, the Bones family, the Prewett brothers, anyone else you can get at."

"Yes, my Lord," the Death eaters chorused.

Isabella felt herself be filled with dread. She could remember hearing that the Bones family and the Prewett twins had died within the last months 1978 perhaps just a little bit into 1979, but she wasn't sure of the day, all she knew were the circumstances. There was not much she could do to stop their deaths, and she had become good friends with them.

_You cannot save everyone._

She shuddered as a burst of cold wind blew down the streets, chilled to the bone as thunder roared overhead and lightning flashed. It wasn't supposed to have rained that night, but the weather was almost as unpredictable the war they were fighting to win, even if she knew the ultimate outcome, so many different things had changed and new things could happen.

A cold pair of blood red eyes fixed on her body, and she stared back through the glass.

"How nice of you to join us, Isabella," Voldemort chuckled darkly. "I have wanted to meet you for a long time."

_**A/N: MAJOR THANKS TO PHOENIXOFICE for being my 200th**__** reviewer! You totally rock! Thanks to LillyLupinXD, cArLySTAR15, Yukira-Kuchiki, GinnyWeasley77, silvermoony77, MegartXD, kali yugah, Bad Wolf Baybe, AriesAriels, SMUSH04, mistofan, and ILoveReadingAndWriting for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to PhoenixOfIce and kali yugah for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to PhoenixOfIce, ShinigamiWanabe, and The Icy Mistress for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was said by Buzz from Home Alone. Great movie, I totally recommend it if you haven't seen it.**_

_**The quote this chapter is from another movie. See if you can get it!**_

"_**You know, mothers have killed to get their daughters on squads."**_

"_**That mother didn't kill anybody. She hired a hit man."**_

_**You must name both characters!**_

_**I have a poll up concerning Izzy's Animagus name! The poll will be open for the next three chapters and will close when I post chapter 27. Everyone's suggestions were great and I have narrowed down the choices, but I want your input as well, so go vote!**_

_**Review because reviews are better than run-ins with Death Eaters! (Or are they? … Wait, yeah, I guess they are better than that, huh? Reviews don't kill people, Death Eaters do.) O.o**_

_**~Cherry **_


	25. The Quidditch World Cup of 1978 That

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Twenty Four: The Quidditch World Cup of 1978 That Didn't Happen_

Voldemort's blood red eyes stared into her hazel ones and she found herself frozen in place as the Death Eaters turned one by one to look at her. She was stuck there for what felt like hours before the movement of one of the Death Eaters caught her attention. He was moving to the door, apparently following his Lord's orders to grab her. She jumped down and ran in the direction leading to Diagon Alley.

"Get her!" his voice hissed and the Death Eaters ran out after her, eager to catch her and please their Lord.

_This is the worst possible time to be stuck as a fox, _Isabella thought bitterly, her small body bounding down the roads. _I know curiosity killed the cat, but I'm a fox for Merlin's sake! That rule doesn't apply to me!_

She dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a Stunner. Her small paws were aching the more she ran and she knew that their long legs gave them an advantage even if foxes were speedy little creatures, humans' long legs allowed them to cover greater distance and she was still a young fox.

She yipped as a Stinging Hex hit her tail and she stumbled slightly in her run, slamming into the ground. She flicked her tail, trying to stop then pain as she picked herself up from the ground and started running toward the stairs that would lead her back up into Diagon Alley.

A Death Eater grabbed for her just as she leaped to clear the stairs.

A searing pain coursed through her body as she flew through the air and she could feel her body growing larger, her limbs losing their fur and growing longer. She took her wand from her mouth as she hit the ground and pointed it at the stairs.

"_Glisseo!_"

The Death Eaters let out surprised cries as the stairs flattened beneath them and they landed at the bottom of them, landing painfully on top of each other. They grumbled and tried to pick themselves up. Seeing her opportunity, Isabella Apparated back to hotel she and the boys had been staying at. Falling back onto the couch, she sighed.

That had been too close and she knew it wasn't the last she'd see of Voldemort. Being in the order, the chances of seeing him again soon were higher than she cared for.

Next time she might not get away.

"Man, if the guys found out…" she muttered. "They're probably just getting the tent… set… up. Wait a second!"

She jumped up and grabbed her ticket from the table, staring at it. "If I hurry, I can catch the girls Portkey that leaves in…" She chanced a look at the clock. "Ten minutes. Perfect!"

**- X -**

"There," she said, standing up and dusting off her hand. "The tent's pitched, girls!"

"Thanks, Izzy," Lily grinned. "As the only one who's ever been camping before, it's a good thing you were able to make it."

"We'd have ended up using magic and getting in trouble," Marlene agreed sheepishly.

"No problem," Isabella shrugged. "Now c'mon, I wanna go find the guys. I bet that haven't even gotten the tent pitched yet."

"They've been here for three hours!" Lily said in shock.

"But they're all pureblood wizards who have never camped the Muggle way," Isabella smirked. "Remember?"

"She has a point," Alice chirped.

"True," Lily agreed reluctantly. "But I'm sure they managed it."

The boy's tent was an absolute disaster. The poles were placed in the ground at odd angles, a tear had been made in the plastic, and the boys were laying on the ground, eyes closed in defeat. They were covered in dirt and a few bruises, as if they'd been wrestling around and whacking each other with the poles.

"What a sad sight," Isabella sighed.

Remus lifted his head. "Izzy!"

The boys all looked up smiling slightly when they spotted her in her human form. Slowly, they picked themselves up from the ground and hugged her one by one, happy to have her back to normal. Remus was the last one to hug her, holding her close for a long time.

Until Sirius cleared his throat.

"We're still here, you know," he teased.

Isabella smiled and kissed Remus softly, ignoring their friend.

"OI!" Sirius said indignantly. "How rude, Iz."

The couple continued kissing for a couple of minutes, ignoring James and Sirius who stood behind them, fake gagging and trying to shield their eyes as if the teenage couple would begin doing inappropriate things out in the open. The girls were giggling and whispering to each other about how cute Isabella and Remus were together. Marlene, who had begun dating Fabian Prewett of all people, had finally moved on from her crush on Remus and was extremely happy for her friend.

"We should go," Isabella said quietly, pulling out of the kiss. "Its late and the match starts early."

Remus kissed her gently once more. "Goodnight, love."

"Goodnight, Remus."

"How sickeningly sweet."

They all turned and glared at the tall man before them. His pale face and pointed features appeared even more noticeable in the dark and his long white-blonde hair gave him away. Lucius Malfoy watched them all with slight amusement.

"Isabella, how nice to see you," he said politely.

"Lucius," she nodded curtly.

"You know," he mused. "The saying is 'Curiosity killed the cat', but I believe that it could also refer to foxes."

"What does he mean by that?" James asked, eyes narrowed.

"I mean, you should teach your friend here to think before she sneaks around Knockturn Alley."

"Izzy?" Remus looked at her. "You went into Knockturn Alley tonight? Are you insane!"

"Remus, I'm fine," she replied quietly. "Despite a small close call."

"Really, though," Lucius said in fake concern. "You should be more careful. You never know who could be lurking in such a dark place."

"Thanks for the warning, Malfoy," she snapped. "But I think I know how to take care of myself."

Lucius sighed, as if he were talking to an incompetent child. "Isabella, please. Be more careful. So many accidents can happen in Knockturn Alley - and at large events like this. People just… go missing. Or worse, people die."

"Is that a threat, Malfoy?" Remus asked in a dangerously low voice.

"No, Lupin," Malfoy sneered. "It's a promise."

**- X -**

"LET THE 418th QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP BEGIN!" shouted the announcer.

Cheers went up among the crowd as the Quaffle was thrown in the air and grabbed almost immediately by England's best chaser, Alec Bersaba. He was riding on the Nimbus 1700, and Isabella immediately recognized him as the man from the shop.

"He's the one who I sold a broom too!" she shouted to Remus, pointing at the man.

He nodded, a small smile on his face. "Awesome!"

Bersaba flew down the pitch narrowly dodging Bludgers and heading straight for the goal. He threw but Peru's Keeper, Adrianna Acavapi, blocked it. It seemed like the match would go on forever, the hours passed with each team scoring, blocking, and Bludgers flying at the players who expertly avoided them. The points were steadily rising and by the time they were tied at 790 points a piece it was already well after noon. The crowd was still pumped and cheering but it was clear the game was beginning to lag as the players tired.

Isabella's eyes were scanning the pitch, her old instincts as a Seeker kicking in. "There it is," she muttered, tapping James on the shoulder and pointing to where the Snitch was nestled near the bottom of the middle hoop on Peru's side.

He snorted. "Merlin, Iz, maybe you should go into professional Quidditch."

"I don't think so," she shook her head. "I love Quidditch but I've been trying to get into the training program at St. Mungo's. I've finally been accepting and I am not blowing off St. M's for Quidditch, no matter how great a sport it is."

"You have no sense of adventure," he muttered. "You'd do some Quidditch team proud with that eagle eye of yours."

"Well, if I wasn't good at finding the Snitch, you'd have killed me," she retorted, eyes trained on the Snitch as it zipped across the field to find a new place to hover.

"Very true."

A scream went up from the stands causing the cheers to die down.

"What's going on?" Lily asked, standing on her tiptoes and trying to spot the cause of silence.

"A… a little boy…" Alice whispered in horror. "He's… he's dead…"

The Dark Mark glittered above.

_**A/N: Thanks to GinnyWeasley77, cArLySTAR15, Gloo1997, MegartXD, Bad Wolf Baybe, SMUSH04, and mistofan for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to Michelle. M. Michelson for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was from the movie Bring It On said by characters Torrence Shipman and her mother, Christine Shipman. **_

_**Here's this chapter's quote.**_

"_**Eew, gross!"**_

"_**What do you see?"**_

"_**You."**_

"_**Very funny."**_

_**There are two characters to name. And don't forget to vote on the POLL that comes down when I post chapter 27!**_

_**Review because review are better than having to miss the Quidditch World Cup!**_

_**P.S. Later today I will be posting a new story! Yes, I must be crazy to try and juggle four stories at once but its summer so I believe it's possible! be sure to check it out. Here's the summary!**_

So Proud: _******Everyone always says, 'You're a Malfoy! You must be so proud.' Well, maybe I don't want to be known as a Malfoy, I just want to be known as me. And if that means standing between my father, my brother, and their stupid Dark Lord by siding with Harry Potter, then that's what I'll do. As far as I can tell, my job is to make sure the Boy Who Lived doesn't become the Boy Who Died. ~ Cassandra.**_

_**~Cherry**_


	26. A Time For Celebration

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Twenty Five: A Time For Celebration_

"And _how _do Death Eaters manage an attack when there are nine Order members present at the very place an attack happens?" Moody growled, pacing in front of the nine friends, who kept their eyes trained on the ground. "I'll tell you how! It happens when you lot forget CONSTANT VIGILANCE! You let your guard down and the Death Eaters took advantage of that!"

"Mad-Eye," James began. "That's not how it happened…"

Moody snorted and rolled his eyes. "Sure it isn't boy. Just go home, all of you. We'll speak more at the next meeting in two weeks."

The teens nodded and walked out the door, an air of tense shame upon their shoulders. None of them were exactly very happy about a Death Eater attack happening right under their noses either. Malfoy's threat had been so clear about people going missing or dying, but they had assumed his threat was directed at Isabella and had been more focused on looking out for any dangers directed at her.

After everyone had Apparated back to their respective homes (or hotel rooms, in the case of Isabella and the boys), they quickly got ready for bed, the boys sticking to the bedroom while Isabella grabbed her night clothes and took a long shower.

_So much for a fun, relaxing Quidditch World Cup experience, _she thought with a frown, the hot water soothing her tense muscles.

She could hear the boys talking in the other room and it was times like that she just wanted to switch into her Animagus form so she could hear them better. They talking in soft, hushed voices and she knew she should mind her own business but she just couldn't. Straining her ear to catch their words she listened intently, trying to block out the sound of running water.

"… All I'm say is that you'd better propose soon."

"I will, I will," one of the boys chuckled. "Honestly, you should be pestering James; he's been carrying around his ring longer than I have."

"Not to mention the two of them have already said I love you to each other," Sirius's loud voice was so easily recognizable. "I mean, really, Remus. You love her, she loves you, and you already have a ring. Why not kill two birds with one stone. Say I love you to her and ask her to marry you all in one go."

Isabella's eyes widened and she stepped back in shock, her foot landing on the bar of soap causing her to fall with a loud scream.

"Izzy?" Remus shouted from the other room. "Are you okay?"

"I slipped on the soap!" she called back. "Don't worry, I'm fine! Nothing's broken, except for my pride!"

"Merlin, Iz," James teased. "You're such a klutz!"

She shut off the water and reached for her towel, drying off before wrapping it around her body and getting out of the shower. She walked over to the bathroom counter and picked up her clothes, quickly shedding her towel and getting dressed before grabbing her hair brush and running it through her wet hair a couple of times. After she placed it back down, she opened the door and re-entered the large room. The boys had crawled into their beds and she went over and crawled under the covers, snuggling into Remus's chest. His arms instinctively wrapped around her waist and he placed a small kiss against her forehead. Peter was already snoring, fast asleep, and James and Sirius were talking about how annoying Moody was.

"Night, Remus," she whispered tiredly, unable to get what she heard out of her head.

"Goodnight, love."

**- X -**

"Are you guys sure this dress is appropriate for Fernelli's?" Isabella asked nervously, staring at herself in the mirror.

Lily and Marlene had come over to help her get ready for a date with Remus and the two had forced her into a small tight dress with grey and white patterns all over it that looked like random swirl patterns and it was a beautiful dress, it really was, but it was also rather short and not to mention it was extremely low-cute. The grey platform shoes she was wearing made her slightly taller than she usually was, putting her right around Remus' height.

"It's fine," Marlene replied in exasperation. "Honestly, Iz, you sound like such a prude."

Isabella scowled. "I am not."

"Then stop worrying about how short and low cut the damn dress is and focus on impressing your man," Marlene smirked. "He won't be able to keep his hands off of you tonight."

Isabella flushed in embarrassment. "Marlene!"

"Dear Merlin, Isabella, you are such a virgin!"

"Oh, shut up!"

Lily was laughing at the two friends. "Well, Marley, she _is _a virgin."

"LILY!" Isabella exclaimed in shock. "You said you would never tell her that!"

Lily shrugged. "Sorry?"

"Sorry my ass," Isabella muttered, looking down in embarrassment.

"Let's just drop that," Marlene said, waving it off even though she was smirking. "Remus is waiting for you downstairs. Now go."

Isabella sighed and walked over to the door, only hesitating briefly, thinking of what she had heard only days before.

"Guys, I need to tell you about something I heard…" she trailed off for a moment before retelling what she had heard that night in the bathroom.

"WHAT!" Lily squealed, jumping up and down. "Oh, how exciting! You might be getting engaged tonight! And he might say that he loves you!"

Marlene snorted. "It's a good thing we have a Silencing Charm on this room or Lily would have given away that you know about it."

"I don't know what to do," Isabella confessed. "I mean, I love him and good Merlin, marrying him would be like living a wonderful dream, but…"

"But you're worried that you guys rushing things because of the war," Lily finished. "I know exactly what you mean. I found the ring James had hidden in his sock drawer. I know it might be soon, but I'm going to say yes because I love him not because of a stupid war."

"You love him, Iz," Marlene advised wisely. "It doesn't matter how long you wait, that love isn't going to change."

Isabella thought about what her friends said and eventually nodded. "I love you girls, you know?"

Her friends smiled. "We know."

"Now go," Lily said, opening the door. "Give us a cause for celebration."

"You got it, Lils," Isabella smiled before slowly walking down the stairs. "I hope you girls are right…"

**- X -**

"This restaurant is beautiful," Isabella said, looking around. "Nice tables, nice chairs, the walls are painted beautifully…"

"Said the Healer in training," Remus teased. "You sound like a closet home decorator, Izzy."

"Oh hush," she giggled, taking a small bite of her spaghetti. "This food is really good."

"Well, this is the top restaurant in all of Diagon Alley," he replied, taking a large bite of his steak. "I would hope the food is good."

"Well, it's no Hogwarts feast, but it'll do," she teased, a small sad smile coming to her face. "I really do miss that school."

"I know, love," he said softly, reaching over and squeezing her hand gently. "I miss it, too."

The dinner continued in a peaceful silence, no words had to be exchanged in order for them to enjoy each other's company. The waiter eventually came over and asked if the cared for any desert and Remus nodded, leaning over to whisper something in the man's ear and slip something to the waiter when Isabella wasn't looking. The waiter smiled brightly and nodded, going to place the desert order.

"Here we are," the waiter said cheerfully, placing the platter down in front of her and lifting the lid.

Isabella let out a small squeak of surprise and placed her hands over her mouth, feeling the tears begin to build. There was a chocolate cake sitting on the platter with a small stand holding the open ring box. The icing on the cake was gold and scarlet in color, showing how much Gryffindor still resided in Remus.

_I Love You. Will You Marry Me?_

Remus stood from his seat and took the ring from the box, kneeling down in front of her seat, a nervous but happy smile on his face. The noise in the restaurant seemed to stop immediately as people caught onto what was happening and turned to watch.

"Isabella, we've been together for a while now, and I love you like no other," he began and she flushed. "I've wanted to ask you this since we graduated and now I finally worked up the courage. I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you and only you. Isabella Renee Byrom, will you marry me?"

Isabella moved her hand to wipe away one of the tears and smiled softly. "Yes."

Cheers went up around the entire restaurant as people clapped happily, glad to have witnessed a proposal. Mr. Fernelli, the owner of the restaurant even came out to congratulate them, wishing them happiness in their marriage and saying he was glad that his staff and he were lucky enough to play such a crucial part in the proposal itself.

It wasn't until a while later that Isabella realized Marlene had been right.

That night, Remus wasn't able to keep his hands off her.

_**A/N: Thanks to SMUSH04, Allycat817, cArLySTAR15, Kim O'Neill, mistofan, Louise Foxhall, and Bad Wolf Baybe for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to LouKirameku and Piper-Knight for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to xXRoyalxRayneXx, LouKirameku, Aura. Jones, and thebritishone for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was said by Juni and Carmen Cortez in the very first Spy Kids movie.**_

_**Remember to name the movie and the character to get a preview of the next chapter. Here's the next quote!**_

"_**I see children frolicking under a rainbow, eating hormone-free treats. Ohh! A unicorn!"**_

"_**I see… mutant turtles gnawing on festering human flesh… Awh! They ate the unicorn."**_

_***Laughs* "You need Jesus. Or Prozac."**_

_**There are THREE character you must name. **_

_**Review because reviews are better than weddings! (Or are they?)**_

_**~Cherry**_


	27. Carefree

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Twenty Six: Carefree_

Lily and Isabella were both chattering with each other excitedly at the next Order meeting two weeks later, both had gotten engaged since the attack at the World Cup and had managed to keep it secret from everyone except those in their immediate circle of friends. Both were going to play it cool that night and see who noticed the rings on their fingers first.

"Take yer seats!" Moody growled and the group of members immediately did so, taking the seats they had staked their claims too.

Dumbledore stood at the front of the table, but this time he did not look as grave as he did at every other meeting. In fact, he appeared to be much more cheerful. His blue eyes sparkled under his half moon spectacles and he had a small but ever present smile on his face as he looked around.

"Well, although the last two weeks have been hard, I am glad to say the Death Eater responsible for the death of the young boy at the Quidditch World Cup has been captured and identified as Timothy Scotts. He was one of the more… unknown Death Eaters. His capture by Dorcas is a great accomplishment for the Order."

"Good job, Dorcas!"

"Way to go!"

"You kicked ass!"

"FABIAN!"

"Sorry, Marlene!"

"Marley, you use worse language than that!"

"So? Doesn't mean he has to!"

"Riiight."

"Don't get all sarcastic on me, Izzy!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Marlene."

Dumbledore chuckled and raised his hand for silence. "Yes, we are all very happy that Dorcas… 'kicked ass', as Mr. Prewett so kindly put it."

Fabian grinned and leaned his chair back on two legs. "Well, thank you, Professor D."

As if Marlene's glare had penetrated the leg of the chair, it snapped and Fabian was sent tumbling to the floor, causing the others present to erupt into laughter. He had flushed a bright red, making the freckles on his face much more noticeable. Feeling bad for her boyfriend, Marlene pecked him on the cheek when he had fixed his chair and sat back down.

"Aw, poor baby," she cooed. "He's embarrassed."

James, Sirius, and Remus were all snickering because Marlene's actions had caused Fabian to turn even redder and fidget in embarrassment. Lily and Isabella exchanged looks and rolled their eyes. As if their boys didn't get embarrassed when the girls coddled them in public. The two girls laughed quietly with each other and then stopped when they noticed Gideon was silent and staring at them.

"No way!"

"What?"

"What's going on, Gideon?"

"Look at Lily and Isabella's left hands!"

"OH MY MERLIN! NO WAY!"

"YOU TWO ARE ENGAGED!"

"I never thought those morons would ask you!"

"Well, Remus would ask, James was the one who was all fidgety and nervous last week!"

"I WAS NOT, SIRIUS!"

"WERE TOO!"

"WERE NOT!"

"WERE TOO!"

"WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP!" Isabella snapped, the playful bickering beginning to get on her nerves. "WE ALL KNOW JAMES WAS A NERVOUS WRECK!"

The two boys blinked and looked down, muttering apologies and mumbling under their breath that she was seriously PMS-ing. She glared at them as they continued muttering those phrases under their breath but relaxed when Remus's arm slipped around her waist. She leaned into him and smiled softly.

She was getting married to Remus, and nothing could ruin her happiness at that moment. Not Voldemort, not thought of what the future may hold, and not James or Sirius.

**- X -**

It was two weeks later when things began to take a turn for the better. The Death Eater attacks had decreased and the Order members were beginning to live normal lives again. Well, it would be normal until the next time they had to fight a battle or rush off to investigate some strange lead.

Isabella has started her training program at St. Mungo's and it was going fabulously as far as she saw it. So far, she had only had to heal minor injuries sustained in workplaces or when playing Quidditch and her boss seemed to like her, which she assumed was a good thing.

Both Isabella and Lily had consumed themselves in wedding plans, hoping to get married in the coming March or April, both wanting a spring wedding and having talked James and Remus into have a double wedding. The girls had agreed on the color scheme, the guest lists, and the invitations had already been selected. They still had a lot to decided on, but the boys were forcing them to take a break and enjoy the time off they had from Order work.

"This is nice," Isabella said quietly as she and her friends entered the amusement park. "I haven't been to an amusement park since I was eight."

Lily smiled. "Same here!"

"We've never been at all," Sirius muttered, eyes trained on the various rides. "Ooh, look at that thing!"

"That's a rollercoaster, Sirius," Isabella laughed. "I wanna go on that first! Please?"

Isabella had never heard James Potter scream like a girl, but there was a first time for everything. He seemed cool and collected as the rollercoaster first began moving, but as it began climbing the steep hill, he began fidgeting in his seat in front of her. Lily sat next to him, smiling widely, obviously someone who loved rollercoasters. When the rollercoaster stalled at the top, he breathed a sigh of relief, only for it to turn into a girlish scream as the rollercoaster quickly descended.

"James, you are so weak!" Isabella teased when the rollercoaster returned to the terminal and he automatically hopped out, looking terrified.

"I hate rollercoasters!"

"And yet you can fly Merlin knows how many feet above the ground, dodging Bludgers, to play a silly sport."

"Quidditch is not silly, Izzy! You play it too!"

"… True."

That night at the amusement park, the group of friends were able to relax for the first time since graduating Hogwarts. They were able to act like carefree teenagers for the first and probably last time. They rode the rides, played the games, won stuffed animals, ate greasy foods and just let themselves focus on their fun instead of worrying about what the next Death Eater attack would hold.

For now, Isabella could be carefree and not worry about the future.

_**A/N: Thanks to Bad Wolf Baybe, cArLySTAR15, SMILEH123, GinnyWeasley77, SketchMeBlue, SMUSH04, AriesAriels, mistofan, XxSweetAddictionsxX, DaizeeG, ILoveReadingAndWriting, and Annalee for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to XxSweetAddictionsxX, Meh111, and Lily Alice Cullen Black for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to XxSweetAddictionsxX, GryffindorPrincess97, Maybe I'm Just Dreaming, and shinigamigirl196 for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was from Bring It On: In It To Win It. The three characters, in order, were Ruben, Sarah, and Aeysha.**_

_**Here's this chapter's quote! Guess the movie/ TV show and the character to get a preview of the next chapter.**_

"_**Oh, and you call yourself the FLAMING HOES. Yeah, that's a bad choice." (Heh. Flaming Hoes.)**_

_**Poll comes down next chapter, so go vote!**_

_**Review because reviews are better than double weddings! (OR ARE THEY! GRRRR!)**_

_**~Cherry**_


	28. Countdown To Disaster

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Twenty Seven: Countdown To Disaster_

"I just can't do it!" Isabella muttered dropping the quill and staring down at the parchment she was trying to translate for the Order. "Whatever it is could happen and we won't know what and it'll be my fault because I couldn't recall the basics of Ancient Runes!"

"Izzy, you have to calm down," Remus said gently, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Let me see what you've got."

She sighed and handed him the paper. His eyes roamed over the text and the things she had already piece together. She had the first line of text and the date, but the only thing missing was the last line of text, which was most likely whatever was supposed to happen on January 1st of 1979.

"We have a date, so that's a good thing," he said, picking up the quill. "Let's see…"

He grabbed the Runes book and flipped through the pages, writing as he looked.

_The Invasion of Britain._

"Oh dear Merlin," Isabella said quietly. "That's one of the major turning points in the Wizarding war! It turns things in the Order's favor!"

Remus grinned. "I remember you telling me that. This is great!"

It turned out to be not so great. After delivering the message to Dumbledore, Isabella found herself anxious as New Years drew closer and closer with each passing day, week, and month. When New Years Eve arrived, she was jumpy and on edge as were most of the other Order members. They weren't sure if it would be midnight exactly or later, but they knew there was going to be a large battle that day.

Marlene was cool as a cucumber. "Will you guys calm down? We've had plenty of battles and this is going to be no different."

Isabella wasn't so sure. She knew something bad was going to happen during the fight, she just couldn't remember what. It was like a ticking time bomb in her head, she wasn't sure what she was trying to remember, but she knew when she did she would kick herself for not remembering sooner. She had always been forgetful when it came to important things, but she never thought she would forget anything about this war.

"This is different, Marlene," she said quietly, tightening her grip on her glass of water. "Something bad is going to happen. I can feel it."

Marlene rolled her eyes. "You always get those feelings and nothing bad has happened yet, Izzy. We're going to kick Death Eater ass like we always do and then they'll run away with their tails between their legs."

_Peter._

Her eyes darted toward him. In the last few days, she had noted that he was more jumpy than usual and had taken to wearing long sleeves. Remus hadn't noticed and neither had James or Sirius. However, she had and she knew he was turning traitor soon if not during the battle.

Isabella grew even more agitated the closer midnight got and none of her friends were able to calm her. They could understand her nervousness, Remus especially. He was the only who knew and she didn't know what she would do if she didn't have him, even if him finding out about her had been a complete fluke from him being a nosey Marauder.

_10... 9... 8..._

Isabella looked around, thinking she had heard something. Many witches and wizards crowded the streets of Diagon Alley, all looking forward to the large fireworks display set to go off at the strike of the New Year. She strained her ears and looked around, trying to pick up on what she had heard. It sounded… as if something _big _had crushed a building or knocked over one.

_7... 6... 5..._

It was like a countdown to disaster. In the distance, she could make out the shape of giants, storming their way toward the large crowd. The giants were not alone, however, Death Eaters levitated in the air, and werewolves led by Fenrir Greyback were on the ground with the giants. Remus and some of the other Order members had spotted the dark creatures as well and pulled out their wands. The werewolves weren't normal. These were the werewolves of Greyback's large packs. The ones who still attacked in human form and instead living in the woods and hunting the animals there as well as people who strayed into their borders. The evil could be seen in their cold, calculating eyes as they watched the wizards. The closer they got, the fiercer they looked, ready to fight until the death.

_4... 3... 2..._

Isabella gripped her wand tightly as the dark creatures fell upon the crowd.

_1._

The giants attacked first, swinging large clubs that sent people flying while the werewolves fought with the Death Eaters, shooting spells into the crowd and splitting people off to make them easier to eliminate. The Order members leapt into action almost immediately, cornering off Death Eaters in duels and trying to take out the giants, who were unfortunately unaffected by spells themselves. The witches and wizard would instead use magic to destroy things and attacks the giants with the rubble, trying desperately to injure them enough to make them retreat or to knock them out.

Isabella was locked in a duel with one of the Death Eaters, barely able to see the cold eyes in the night and with the face covered in a mask it made it hard to tell who she was fighting. The disgust in his eyes gave him away almost immediately.

Mulciber.

She heard a cry, a familiar cry, and lost her concentration as she turned toward the sound. "REMUS!"

A pain like she had never felt before engulfed her and she screamed, falling to the ground and writhing in pain. She had never experienced the pain of the Cruciatus curse before and it was awful, though not nearly as bad as she was sure it could get. Mulciber was laughing, increasing the pain every now and then and causing her to cry out, tears falling from her eyes as the pain began becoming more and more unbearable. She wasn't sure how much time had passed as she was there, getting tortured, and no one came to help her. She knew they were all fighting their own battles and couldn't get away, but she was wanting someone, anyone, to get him off her.

Finally, the tide was beginning to turn. The giants were slowly being backed up as more and more witches and wizards joined the fight. A spell hit Mulciber in the chest, sending him flying back as James rushed over to help her up. She was covered in sweat and tear streaks still stained her face as she took his hand and let him pull her up. Her knees wobbled and buckled under her, nearly causing her to fall as James handed her off to Remus and her fiancée, face and body covered with wounds led her to a small area of safety where Dorcas was attempting to heal a large gash on Gideon's face so he could return to battle.

Remus gently lowered her to the ground and cupped her face gently, his eyes piercing hers.

"Are you alright, love?" he asked quietly, looking her over for any other wounds besides the bruises from when she hit the ground.

"I'm fine," Isabella replied quietly. "Better off than you are. Remus, you need to get some of these healed before going back out there."

He shook his head. "They're just small cuts. The others need me right now."

"Things will be better after this battle," she said quietly. "Don't forget that."

He gave her a look. "How do you know that?"

It was as if her blood had turned to ice as the horror descended upon her. She asked him softly if he could remember the reason they fought on the train just before Christmas and he said it was because he wasn't sure they should have been together. Somehow, Remus had forgotten everything she had shared with him about her world, where she came from, and what she knew.

"Just a feeling," she said weakly.

He smiled and kissed her gently. "And your feelings are almost always right."

She watched as he stood, preparing to head back into battle. "Stay safe, Remus."

"I will," he said before rushing back into the fray.

Dorcas made her way over to Isabella a few minutes later, fussing over her and asking if she was okay, had she hit her head when she fell, but Isabella answered quietly, seeming as if she didn't want to be there. This behavior was strange, but Dorcas figured she was just worried and wanting to get back out there and help. After concluding that Isabella was fine, if not a little shaken up, and definitely bruised, Dorcas let Isabella rush back into the battle.

Her mind was racing with questions of how Remus could have forgotten all she had told him, and yet he still remembered her and that they were together and engaged. Someone who was very gifted at memory charms was the only person who could possibly erase thoughts so selectively. She wasn't sure, but it seemed like the work of Voldemort himself, for she was unsure if any of his Death Eaters were capable of such a thing.

The Giants were falling back, as were the werewolves and Death Eaters as the battle began nearing its end. With a few more well aimed spells, the enemy had completely disappeared and a cheer went up among the fighters.

The war had just turned in their favor, and would stay in their favor until the unfortunate events of 1981, when the Potters were meant to die and many Order members killed by the Death Eaters search to find out what had happened to their leader.

It was a great victory for them, but Isabella couldn't bring herself to do more than smile as the others around her cheered.

She was alone with her secret now, besides the Death Eater and Voldemort, only one other person knew besides Remus, and he was turned spy by then.

Peter Pettigrew.

She turned her eyes toward him, and he was there, laughing with James and Sirius and talking animatedly about their victory, but she could see the gleam in his eyes. He was no longer the sweet Peter she had first met. He had already begun turning into the criminal who would lead to the death of one of his best friends and the imprisonment of another.

Moreover, the scary thing was, he didn't appear to be bothered by it.

_**A/N: Thanks to Bad Wolf Baybe, cArLySTAR15, Gloo1997, GinnyWeasley77, MJ Potter Black Weasley, Meh111, Dragonwand, and KenzieMarz for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to Tiryn, MJ Potter Black Weasley, Princess-Lazy-Chan, Emma Cahill, Dragonwand, and Angels Cry Tears of Blood for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to MJ Potter Black Weasley, Princess-Lazy-Chan, Emma Cahill, Meh111, crisis what crisis, NomnomnomL, KenzieMarz, Dragonwand, and Angels Cry Tears of Blood for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**The poll is now closed and Izzy's Animagus name has been decided upon… ASH! Thanks to all who voted and keep an eye out for a new poll that will be put up shortly.**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was from Bring It On: In It To Win It said by Carson.**_

_**Here's this chapter's quote. Remember to name the character and the movie/ TV show in order to get a preview of the next chapter!**_

"_**What do you think I have down there? A gnome?"**_

_**Review because reviews are better than being betrayed by your friend!**_

_**~Cherry**_


	29. The Blame Game

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Twenty Eight: The Blame Game - Friends Turned Enemies_

So, she had seen it coming, but she didn't know it would be quite this bad. The Order meeting was now in progress and Dumbledore was about to deliver the devastating news that would have friends accusing each other, blaming one another, and tearing friendships apart. She watched him expectantly, knowing that once he said what he was going to, all hell would break loose.

"It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you all about this new discovery," Dumbledore began. "There is a spy among the Order."

Unfortunately, Dumbledore, like Remus, had forgotten all that Isabella had told him. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she did know she had no one she could rely on at this moment in time. She could go and tell the both of them everything again from the beginning, but she hadn't exactly told Dumbledore that Peter was the traitor, and Remus only found out by accident and so she ended up telling him the whole story.

Hushed and panicked whispers erupted around the table and people began shooting suspicious glances at one another. Sirius looked at Remus from the corner of his eyes and then it hit Isabella like a slap in the face. With Remus working for Dumbledore trying to recruit some of the werewolves for their side, Sirius was thinking Remus was off working for Voldemort. She felt stupid for forgetting that, the fact that Sirius had thought Remus was the spy had been mentioned more than once in the books.

While she saw the looks Sirius shot toward Remus, she missed the looks that many shot toward her. It was no secret that she had just… appeared in Diagon Alley one day, and then started at Hogwarts that fall. Many of the Order members had also found it strange she knew advanced spells, even for a seventh year, but she had also known spells that many didn't know until _after _completing school.

Blame was going to be tossed around like a hot potato and she wasn't sure anything she said would stop that. Remus didn't remember the truth, so she couldn't openly accuse Peter, and Sirius and James would be likely to not believe her because they knew him as sweet, innocent, shy, and terrified of everything. They wouldn't believe for one second that it was Peter who was the spy. She didn't want to believe it, either. It just didn't fit with the boy she had gotten to know so well. In addition, he _had _saved her that day in Diagon Alley. What if things had changed?

What if Peter _wasn't _the spy?

**- X -**

One thing Isabella had learned during her time in this world and in her own world when she read the books was that the Ministry of Magic was extremely fucked up. However, in this time, when the first war was occurring, they stood against Voldemort and actually fought against him whereas in the second war they ignored that he was back and hide like mice cowering from a cat.

"Love?" Remus asked, as if sensing her unease. "What's the matter?"

"All this blame being thrown around," she replied quietly. "I don't like seeing people blaming those who are supposed to be their friends. Like how Sirius thinks it may be you."

"Don't let it bother you," Remus advised. "I didn't let it bother me. Because as long as you know it's true, who cares what others think."

She smiled weakly. "Well, I guess that makes sense."

If only brushing the blame off was that easy. It was a week after the Order meeting when it happened. She had been wondering around the newly rebuilt Potter Manor when she heard Peter, James, and Sirius talking.

"I seriously think it could be Remus," Sirius said quietly. "He's been disappearing a lot lately."

"But isn't he on a mission for Dumbledore?" Peter asked in a small voice.

"That's what he says," Sirius replied. "But I don't buy it and Dumbledore won't tell if it's true or not."

James sighed. "I actually think it might be Isabella. I mean, what do we _really _know about her? We only met her a year ago and she was lying in the middle of Diagon Alley, beaten and bloody. Her background story made sense at the time, but now that I think back, she knew spells at the beginning of school that there was no way those kids in her neighborhood could have taught her."

_I am going to kill him, _Isabella thought, clenching he fists. _I know he didn't really trust me at first, and we had a pretty big fight during the school year, but he should know me better than that._

"James Potter!" Lily snapped as she entered the room. "I heard that! You should be ashamed of yourself, Isabella is your friend. And so is Remus, Sirius! How can the two of you be so willing to believe people who care about you so much would betray you or what they believe in? Isabella loved your parents just as much as you did, James, and she would never serve the man who killed them. Moreover, she's Muggle-born! He would kill her where she stands!"

"That's what would make her the perfect spy!" James argued. "The fact that she is Muggle-born. No one would suspect her."

"James, do you even hear yourself?" Lily asked, crossing her arms. "Honestly."

"Lily, she's strange," he soothed. "She just appears in the middle of Diagon Alley."

"Apparition," Lily rolled her eyes.

James shook his head. "She was too injured to have Apparated there. Then the fact that she knows that we're Animagus and that Remus is a werewolf even though we never told her that."

"Maybe she pieced the puzzle together," Lily argued. "There was a full moon a week after she showed up. She could have noticed you guys were missing."

"We left after she went to bed and came back before breakfast," he said. "Lily, it's her. I'm sure of it."

"Oh, really now?" Isabella asked, stepping out from the corner and looking at him expectantly, tears brimming her eyes. "James Potter, I am so disappointed in you. Not once - _not once _did I ever think it could have been any of you. You're my friends, I trust you, and I know you could never do anything like that. Apparently, the feelings aren't mutual. We could sit around for hours playing the Blame Game, tossing around who we think it is while they're out there giving away information and helping Voldemort." She spun on Sirius, who flinched at the anger in her eyes. "And _you. _How could you? Remus has stuck by you when you were at your worst! You nearly get Snape killed by him, he forgives you, and how do you repay that kindness? By accusing him of being a spy!"

"Izzy," Sirius began, but she didn't even let him continue.

"I never thought either of you could accuse your friends of something so horrible!" she yelled. "I mean, look at me and Marlene. Even with all the shit that's gone down between us, do you see us throwing blame at each other? Accusing one another of being spies? No! We're trying to think of who's been acting strange. Jumpy and jittery, possibly wearing long sleeves on their clothes."

She grabbed the sleeves of her shirt and pushed them up, showing her pale arms. "Do you see a Dark Mark, James? _Do you_?"

Without waiting for an answer, she spun on her heel and walking out the door, heading outside the charms before Apparating to her and Remus's flat in Muggle London. She could feel the tears falling, reached up to wipe them away before sitting down on the couch, and pulling her legs to her chest, waiting for when Remus would return home from his work with the werewolf packs. He had told her he would be back today if things worked out, but if they didn't he could still be gone for days.

She really needed him at the moment.

With a sigh, she heaved herself from the couch hours later, slightly disappointed James and Sirius hadn't followed her to talk. But even more disappointed that Remus wasn't home. As she entered the bedroom, she stopped at the dresser drawer and opened it. There was a wrapped gift inside, she had been planning to give it to Remus on New Year's - their one year anniversary, but she hadn't been able to because of the battle. She lifted the box out and untied the bow, lifting up the lid and placing it on the top of the dresser. Reaching inside, she picked up the little present inside and smiled softly.

In her hand, she held a small, hippogriff shaped rattle.

_**A/N: Thanks to MJ Potter Black Weasley, GinnyWeasley77, Princess-Lazy-Chan, Bad Wolf Baybe, TheBritishOne, cArLySTAR15, mistofan, largetunax3, AriesAriels, addy, Rawr. I. Am. A. Dinosaur. x, and SMUSH04 for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to Rawr. I. Am. A. Dinosaur. x for adding this story to her favorites. Thanks to Rawr. I. Am. A. Dinosaur. x and MaraudersLiveOnAsAnimagus for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**I would so appreciate it if you guys would check out my new fic: The Road That Lies Ahead. It's HP/OC on the listing but relationship wise will be OC/OC. And for those who aren't reading my other fics, I would appreciate if you read So Proud and A Forsaken Melody!**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was said by Olive Penderghast from the movie Easy A.**_

_**Remember, all you have to do is name the character who said it and the movie/TV show that it is from.**_

"_**Kill us faster? Oh, now I can relax!"**_

_**Review because reviews are better than being accused of being a spy!**_

_**~Cherry **_

_**P.S.: There were two reviews from last chapter I believe deserve answers! GINNYWEASLEY77: YES I DO LOVE HOW SUBTLE YOUR REVIEWS ARE! Haha, not many people can say they wish Peter would go die in a hole, but you can! You're reviews always leave me amused! And of course AriesAriels: Yes, it is strange that you like Mulciber. xD**_


	30. Dress Pains

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Twenty Nine: Dress Pains_

The blame kept flying as the days flew by. Isabella continued to avoid both James and Sirius, determined to make them sweat the longer she let them think she was mad at them. Truth be told, she could understand some of their concerns about her. She had never told them her story and she didn't plan to, especially now that she didn't have Remus and Dumbledore to back her up. She had considered it before, yes, but then the memory loss attacked the two most reliable people to have on her side. The only people on her side.

Remus was still gone on his mission and she had basically been keeping herself in their flat ever since the fight with James and Sirius. She had owled Lily and the two had agreed that a double wedding at that time would be a disaster so Lily and James' wedding would remain set for the date in April and Isabella would talk with Remus about getting married in March instead. Right now, her focus wasn't on the date, but on the dress hunt that would be occurring the next day.

She was excited and nervous at the same time. With the weddings now happening separately, she had asked Lily to be her Maid Of Honor and had convinced Marlene and Alice to be her bridesmaids. She knew Remus would pick his three best friends as Best Man and Groomsmen, but she did not like the fact that Peter would be in the wedding. While she had some doubt he was the spy, she hadn't come up with solid proof that he wasn't.

With a sigh, she picked up the small notebook she had bought at a Muggle convenience store and grabbed her ink well and quill. She looked down the list, striking out two of the names written there. She would really like for Remus to be there, helping her and suggesting names. However, they did have plenty of time before the little one was born. Unfortunately, she didn't know exactly when she would get to tell him.

_January 23, 1979._

_Two years and nine months and eight days until this all comes to a head, _Isabella thought, tossing down the notebook and crawling in bed. She was exhausted and now plagued with thoughts of what the future held.

She wished she had someone to confide in.

**- X -**

_James would have considered it the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends._

The quote from the seventh book swam through Isabella's head for the millionth time since her fight with her friend. She could remember reading it in the book, Remus had said it, and she wondered that if it were true, then why did he mistrust her so much as to think she would betray the Order?

_In times of war like this, even the great James Potter can be overcome by fear, she thought, a small frown settling on her face as she waited for the other girls in the dress shop, Marilai's, a shop she'd seen numerous times while walking through Diagon Alley._

"IZZY!"

Isabella stumbled slightly as Alice crashed into her, but hugged her friend back, laughing with her. "Alice! I haven't seen you in a whole week!"

"I know!" Alice agreed, smiling brightly.

Isabella rolled her eyes. "Geez, Al, we really need to hang out more. You can't even since my sarcasm anymore!"

"No, I can, I just ignored it!"

The two girls laughed again as Marlene and Lily entered. Lily appeared slightly nervous, but Isabella smiled at her friend reassuringly, letting her know that her problems with James would not affect their friendship.

"Hello girls," the shop owner greeted. "My name is Marilai, and these are my assistants, Venus and Samantha."

Venus and Samantha, two blonde haired twins, waved at the bunch with cheerful smiles on their faces. Marilai eyed the group with scrutiny and pointed at Isabella and then Lily.

"You two are the brides," she said, smiling when they nodded. "So, who's dress hunting today?"

"Isabella," Lily said, pointing to her. "She's getting married in March and I'm getting married at the end of April. We're here for her dress today and the dresses for the bridesmaids. I have an appointment to come for my dress and bridesmaids dresses in a week."

"I see," Marilai smiled. "We'll take care of the three of you first. Isabella, tell me about the color scheme for your wedding."

"Well, since it's a spring wedding, and it had originally been a double wedding, Lily and I agreed that I could use the color scheme we had originally decided upon which was mocha, ivory, and white, while she changed her scheme to ivory, sage, and lavender."

"Where are you getting married?"

"Originally, we were going to get married at a regular church, but I've been thinking about it, and I'm letting Lily keep the church and I'm going to talk to my fiancée about getting married at Hogwarts. We both love the school, and we were really happy there. There are a lot of good memories there."

Marilai smiled. "Well, that sounds like a lovely idea. If I could get you three to come with me, we'll get dresses that go with Isabella's color scheme and see how she likes them."

A few minutes later, Marlene walked out with a frown on her face. She wore a silk dress that was one shouldered with over layered fabric detail stitched on the shoulder and a slight drape detail, ruffled front and back shoulders all the way down to the hem. A side front slit at the front and a concealed side zipper with a hook and eyes closure. It was the exact shade of mocha that Isabella had pictured for the dresses and she loved it. Marlene didn't appear to agree.

Lily walked out next in an Alexander McQueen gown with sweeping layers of light-as-air silk chiffon and a subtle meadow print. The ivory silk-chiffon gown had a yellow, green, and gray meadow print with wide shoulder straps, a sweetheart neckline, hook and zip fastening internal bodice with padded under wired cups, a scoop back, stitched paneling, a three-layer chiffon skirt, and concealed zip fastening back. The dress went right to the floor and the ivory color really complemented Lily's fiery red hair, but Marlene shook her head and made a face, obviously not approving of it.

Alice's dress was short, a couple inches above the knees, and a lighter shade of mocha than Marlene's was. It had a slightly padded, sweetheart bodice to its full skirt of circular, plain and pleated tiers, a fully lined, cotton frock.

"Well?" Marilai asked, turning to Isabella. "Let's start with Alice's dress. What do you like or don't like about it?"

"Well," Isabella paused for a moment, studying the dress. "It's cute, but I really wanted floor length dresses for the bridesmaids. It's a gorgeous dress and the shade is fabulous, but it's just… not what I see in my wedding."

Marilai nodded. "Okay, so we can rule out the Baklava Beauty Dress. What about Marlene's Elie Saab?"

"Absolutely gorgeous dress," Isabella smiled. "Floor length, modest on the cut. Which I'm sure Marlene hates but can suffer through considering it's my wedding day."

Marlene rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless.

"I honestly can't find anything I don't like about Marlene's dress."

"I hate it," Marlene cut in. "Not just the cut, but the whole dress. Especially the draping going over the shoulder. I mean, that may have been the style a couple years ago, but now it looks just awful. And the face that it's pleated around the waist is just… ugh."

Marilai gave Marlene the stink eye. "Well, you're the bridesmaid, so your opinion does matter, but it's Isabella's wedding and she makes the final choice."

"Lily's dress is just… wow," Isabella continued, trying not to let Marlene's criticism get to her. "It's just… exactly what I can see all the girls in."

"Uh, no," Marlene shook her head. "I mean, it look good on Lils, and may be able to be pulled off by Alice -"

"HEY!" Alice protested.

"But it just doesn't work for me."

Marilai grumbled under her breath. "Bridesmaids… always the bridesmaids. They make finding the bride's dress look easy. Look, Marlene. I think you're a sweet girl, you know a lot about dresses and fashion, but this is my area of expertise. In addition, I have picked the dresses best suited for what Isabella wants. This time, you have to let go of the reins and let me lead the carriage, okay? Good."

Marlene crossed her arms unhappily. "Whatever."

Her behavior only got worse when it became time for Isabella to try on dresses to find 'the one'.

"It makes her too hippy."

"Honestly, I don't love it. It makes her boobs look way to big. Seriously, they might fall out as she walks down the isle."

"Mermaid dresses, eww."

"Seriously, Iz, that dress makes you look fat!"

That was the last straw for Isabella. She looked down to the floor and stepped down from the walk, heading straight for the dressing rooms. A single tear fell down her cheek. Out of the forty dresses she had tried on, Marlene had a comment for each and every one of them. None of them were good either. Nevertheless, to openly call her fat really stung. Of course, Marlene and the others didn't yet know she was pregnant; she wanted to tell Remus first. However, it still hurt.

She felt completely and utterly defeated.

With a last glance down at the dress she was wearing, a beautiful mermaid strapless chapel train satin wedding dress, she marched back out to where her friends were and glared at Marlene.

"You listen to me, Marlene," she said in a deadly tone. "This is my dream dress and if you have a problem with it, too bad. You don't get a say in what I want. And I want this dress. I don't care if it makes me look fat, you'll be extremely surprised at what it'll look like in two more months, believe me."

Boy, was that true. By the time her and Remus's wedding day arrived, she would have a baby bump. All she hoped for, was that he knew by then.

_**A/N: Thanks to MJ Potter Black Weasley, GinnyWeasley77, DragonWand, largetunax3, Kim O'Neill, buttonsXD, gaararoks, cArLySTAR15, Allycat817, mistofan, Louise Foxhall, AriesAriels, Bad Wolf Baybe, SamTheShortyMan, TheAnonymousAuror, and Jibbette for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to Rawr. I. Am. A. Dinosaur.x, MaraudersLiveOnAsAnimagus, and Tsukiyoukai for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to Rawr. I. Am. A. Dinosaur.x, gaararoks, ForgeandGred4Ever, SamTheShortyMan, and Jibbette for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**The quote from the last chapter, and I am PROUD to say everyone who gave an answer got it right (THANK GOODNESS), was said by Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Seriously, if ya'll had guessed and got it wrong… *Shakes head***_

_**Remember, just name the character and the movie/TV show the quote is from to get a preview of the next chapter!**_

"_**There they go, here we stay."**_

_**Review because reviews are WAY better than bitchy bridesmaids!**_

_**~Cherry**_


	31. Unexpected Reaction

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Thirty: Unexpected Reaction _

"I had a fight with James and Sirius," Isabella said casually as soon as Remus walked in the door.

He sighed. "Yeah, I stopped by James' before coming home and he told me. Izzy, I told you just to ignore it. This war has got everyone all jumpy. And you know James considers-"

"It the height of dishonor to mistrust his friends," she finished. "Then why does he mistrust me? I'm his friend aren't I?"

"Of course you are," Remus said, shocked that she could even think she wasn't. "But in times like these even James doesn't trust everyone. However, why he zeroed in on you out of everyone in the order really concerns me. I know the circumstances of your appearance are strange, but I think we've known you long enough to know you couldn't do something like that."

She smiled at him. "Glad you think so. Lily was pissed when she heard James and Sirius."

He chuckled. "I can bet."

"Hey," she began, trying to keep the nerves out of her voice. "Can you open the dresser drawer, top on the left, and grab that little wrapped box for me?"

He appeared confused by the request but did so, pulling the wrapped box from the drawer and examining it before holding it out to her. She shook her head and motioned for him to open the box. He carefully untied the ribbon and set it aside on top of the dresser before lifting off the lid. He pulled out the hippogriff shaped rattle and stared at it for a moment, and then he slowly lifted his shocked blue eyes to meet her soft hazel ones.

"Your -" he began and then walked over to sit next to her on the bed. "A baby?"

"Yeah, a baby."

"Isabella," he ran a hand through his hair. "People like me. We don't have kids."

"People like you don't get married either, but we are!"

"That's different!"

"How? Because now there's another little life we have to be concerned about?" she asked, feeling the tears already beginning to build. "I want this baby, Remus. We've been blessed, don't you see? A baby is a wonderful thing, not something you should be scared to have!"

"Izzy, you don't understand," he said, a pained look on his face. "What if I hurt the baby? What if it's like me?"

"You know lycanthropy can't be passed down through the genes, Remus," she argued. "And you guys always go to that forest, plenty far away from where we all live, on the full moon nights. We'll be fine."

He shook his head and turned for the door. "I need to think about this. I'll be back -"

"Don't bother leaving," Isabella snapped. "I'll go stay with Lily and James, damn it all if a little fight means I'm not welcomed in my best friend's house. You know where to find me when you stop moping."

She stood up and grabbed her wand before walking out the door of the tiny flat, slamming it behind her. She walked down the hall and quickly hurried down the stairs, one hand holding tightly to the side bar in case she fell and the other on her stomach. She was two and a half months pregnant, and happy, but the happiness was rapidly deflating when she realized Remus wasn't happy.

The progress she had made with him on the New Years they got together had vanished. Back when he knew what the future could hold, he had been able to take the time to get comfortable with dating, marrying, and having a baby. Now that progress was gone because of some strange selective memory loss. She was determined to find out what was going on.

**- X -**

James stood in the doorway as she settled into one of the many spare rooms in Potter Manor. He appeared as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it. She could guess he was trying to begin an apology; he'd been trailing after her since she first got there.

"What, uh, happened with Remus?" he asked.

She looked at him, wondering why he was asking.

"It's just," he continued. "You guys are like the perfect couple. It seems odd that you two are fighting about anything."

She sighed. "Well, he knows so I might as well tell the rest of you. Are the guys still here?"

"Downstairs in the kitchen with Lily," he answered.

"Then we should join them, I have a bit of big news for you all."

He nodded and led the way back down the stairs. This had been the first time she had really seen Potter Manor since it had been rebuilt, seeing as the last time she had been more concerned with spying on the boys' conversation. When they entered the kitchen, Sirius looked at Isabella and jumped up to hug her.

"I'm sorry James is such an ass!"

She laughed. "Just James?"

"Well," he set her back down. "I suppose I can take _some _of the blame."

"Sirius!"

"Okay, okay," he threw up his hands in defeat. "Half of the blame."

"James," Lily said, looking at her fiancée expectantly.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry, Izzy," he said, smiling slightly at the exchange that just took place. "I shouldn't have assumed it was you. And Sirius shouldn't have assumed it was Remus."

"He came by earlier and told us where he's been," Sirius said sheepishly. "Made me feel like a right git."

"You are a git."

"Thank you, Iz; you really know how to make a guy feel better after an apology."

"No problem, Uncle Sirius," she teased, and saw his shoulders tense up.

"What!" he and James both yelped, startling the half asleep Peter.

Lily was smiling while the boys stared at her with jaws dropped. Sirius looked more like a fish, opening and closing his mouth a few times before opting to keep it closed. James' jaw was down, his hazel eyes wide and filled with shock. Peter just appeared confused as he looked around.

"What did I miss?" he asked in his squeaky voice.

_**A/N: Thanks to cArLySTAR15, MJ Potter Black Weasley, Bad Wolf Baybe, Princess-Lazy-Chan, mistofan, EmilyLupin77 (Subtle as ever, love the new pennames, by the way!), iamazombie97, DragonWand, and rockerchic143 for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to SamTheShortyMan, Kiri-chan 'n' Kimi-chan, iamazombie97, aaroniteXkryptonite, Natsumi-Reiko, Miss123britishgirl, madmonkeyqueen, and beautiful sun for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to Kiri-chan 'n' Kimi-chan, kagome13cdj, iamazombie97, Rawr. im. a. T-Rex, rockerchic143, and beautiful sun, for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**The quote from the last chapter was said by Billy Hitchcock in the first Final Destination movie.**_

_**Remember to name the character and movie/TV show the quote is from for a preview of the next chapter.**_

"_**Come with one of us! It's one thing for a bloke to show up alone, but for a girl it's just sad."**_

"_**I won't be going alone, because believe it or not, someone's asked me! And I said yes!"**_

"_**Bloody hell. She's lying, right?"**_

"_**If you say so."**_

_**There are three characters to name. **_

_**Review because reviews are better than fighting with the guy you love!**_

_**~Izzy**_


	32. Funny Thing, Memory Charms

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Thirty One: Funny Thing, Memory Charms_

"Two weeks," Isabella muttered angrily, running a hand through her hair as she sat with Lily, James, and Sirius at dinner. "TWO FUCKING WEEKS!"

Sirius winced. "You have to give him time, Izzy. You know how Remus can be."

"NO EXCUSE!"

"Frankly, I'm still pissed he got you pregnant before you guys are even married," James said, stabbing his steak with the fork."Slept with you at all before being married."

"My virginity is none of your concern, James," Isabella retorted. "Honestly, I don't need you and Sirius killing him before this is worked out. You guys are worse the over protective brothers. However, I don't need protecting; I'm not a little girl. I can find my way on my own."

"Still going to give her a very stern talk," James grumbled.

"You have no right to, you and Lily slept together by now," Isabella said, rolling her eyes. "And don't deny it."

"But I didn't get her pregnant."

"Yet," Isabella muttered under her breath.

"We're going to the Leaky tonight, see if we can find him there," Sirius interrupted, cutting off any further comments. "If there was every a time Remus would become a drunk fool, it would be now. No offense, Izzy, but news like this is gonna shock someone like him. Of course, he's worried for the baby. It's that he doesn't want the baby; he's worried for its safety. He probably worried about Greyback, or himself, or Merlin knows what else. Give the guy a break."

"I hadn't thought about Greyback," she said softly. "He wouldn't - he wouldn't come after my baby, would he?"

"Well, seeing as it's Remus's baby, and you're so interesting to Voldy for some reason, it could be possible," Sirius shrugged. "He's just looking at the big picture. You can't always just live in the here and now."

"I think…" she trailed. "That's the first smart thing I've ever heard you say."

"OI! I SAY SMART THINGS ALL THE TIME!"

"Whatever, Sirius."

"Keep telling yourself that, Pads."

"Don't look at me, Sirius. I'm not going to get into this. It's between you, Iz, and James."

"You guys suck."

**- X -**

"Remus John Lupin, you are a right ass," James said as he, Sirius, and Peter dropped down into the seats at their friends' table in the Leaky Cauldron. "Do you know how crazy your girl's been driving me? I swear, she's given me a couple gray hairs with her ranting. 'Why hasn't he come to talk to me yet? What if he never comes back? Don't you look at me like that James Potter!' I mean, geez. I'm only eighteen and looks at this -" he plucked an unmistakably gray hair from his head. "Do you see what she's done to me!"

The slightest of smiles crossed his face, his eyes softening as he placed down his firewhiskey bottle. "Sounds like the Izzy I know and love. It's her life goal to make you prematurely gray."

Sirius was not smiling and neither was Peter.

"Remus, you need to go back to her," Sirius said and Peter nodded agreement.

"Yeah," Peter chimed. "She needs you, Remus. You should see her sulking around the Manor, keeping track of the days since she last saw you. That's love if I ever did see it."

"Guys, people like me -"

"And what's that even mean?" Sirius asked. "People like you? Kind people who forgive their shitty friends and let's them do things that will get them in trouble just because you're grateful to have them? Remus, we'd have been running around like chickens with our heads cut off if we had never met you. We're the ones who should be grateful."

Remus sighed. This was not a conversation he wanted to have with them. They would find answers to every one of his doubts and he knew it. "Guys -"

"Just go home, Rem," James advised. "You'll be a good dad. But you'll never prove that to yourself unless you try."

"I don't know if I can try, James."

"Of course you can," squeaked Peter. "Stand up, Apparate home, wait the rest of the time until the baby's born and then just try. I hear people talking about stuff like that all the time, once the baby's born, you won't be able to picture your life without it."

Remus stared at his friend. Since when had Peter gotten so wise?

"I already can't imagine my life without it," Remus said minutes later. "But it's hard for me to imagine my life with kids in it too."

**- X -**

When James, Sirius and Peter returned to the Manor, none of them said a single word to Isabella and she immediately took it as a bad sign. Sirius immediately headed to the kitchen to make him a cup of coffee, Isabella hated the stuff, before he hurried up the stairs, and James went upstairs to his and Lily's room to talk with her about some wedding stuff.

Peter stayed there for a couple minutes, staring at her as she simply wrapped her arms around her stomach in defeat.

"Funny things, Memory Charms," he finally said, causing her eyes to shoot up to his. "When used blindly, you can erase someone's entire memory, but if you know what you're looking for, you can erase only those memories and the victim would never be the wiser."

"Peter," she warned. "What do you know?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Isabella," he said, fighting off a smirk. "But I know who you are and where you come from. You're all alone with no one to help you. No one you can put your trust in. You can't stand alone against him. Because if you do, you'll fail."

"We'll see about that," Isabella replied. "I'd rather stand alone against him than go to him out of cowardice like you did. Do you even know what the consequences of your actions will lead to if I don't do something?"

"Death," he answered, his eyes flickering to the stairs where Lily and James' room was at the top. "Their deaths and his imprisonment. You're not the only one who knows what the future holds, Iz. He knows as well, thanks to your appearance and a prophecy. Unfortunately, he knows nothing that happens after that Halloween night. He doesn't even know the outcome of the fight that will occur. However, he knows one thing, after that duel, you will leave this world. Hopefully never to return."

"I'll leave this world?" she repeated. _Does that mean that I'll die or that I'll be going back to my world?_

He smiled, offering no further explanation as he turned and trotted off to the stairs. "Goodnight."

Whether or not he meant she would die or not, she was certain of one thing. No doubts lingered in her mind anymore.

Peter was the traitor. That had never changed.

_**A/N: Thanks to Edward Cullen's Girl, SamTheShortyMan, Bad Wolf Baybe, LillyLupinXD, Gloo1997, Grace Adara Pendragon, indescribable music, cArLySTAR15, Yukira-Kuchiki, MaraudersLiveOnAsAnimagus, RedVinesOMG, DragonWand, Kim O'Neill, Meh111, rockerchic143, EmilyLupin77, MJ Potter Black Weasley, Allycat817, Extreme Liz, mistofan, silvermoony77 (Whoa, you came back from the dead!), and Princess-Lazy-Chan for reviewing the last chapter. (22 reviews? I AM SERIOUSLY ON HAPPY CHICK!). Thanks to RedVinesOMG, Ranger Maestro, zoeyjadelupin95, sWt sOrROWs GoOd Bai, ImaginationxBright, and Extreme Liz for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to RedVinesOMG, angel19872006, Extreme Liz, and running. with. Wolves for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**Went and saw HPDH part 2 today with my sister, gave me MAJOR inspiration to finish this chapter. LOVED IT!**_

_**The quotes from the last chapter were Ron, Hermione, Ron again, and then Harry from HP: GoF. **_

_**Here's this chapter's quote. Name the character and the movie to get a preview of the next chapter. THREE QUOTES AND CHARACTERS TO NAME. (Well four characters, seeing as the first quote has two characters in it.)**_

_**Quote 1: "This doesn't concern you! This is between me and your circus clown of a father!"**_

"_**Circus clown. That's a new one."**_

_**Quote 2: "And I got a girlfriend. Punch that out of me, bitches."**_

_**Quote 3: "But no, John Hughes did not direct my life."**_

_**Review because reviews are better than friends wanting to murder your fiancée!**_

_**~Izzy**_


	33. Wedding Bells Toll

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Chapter Thirty Two: Wedding Bells Toll_

There was just no way he could do it. He wasn't ready to be a dad, he had never even let the thought cross his mind because people like him weren't supposed to get married or have children. He was putting Isabella and the baby in danger if he stayed with them. And yet, he couldn't help but want to be there. It was his baby and the woman he loved, he couldn't just walk away.

He took a deep breath and looked up at the door of Potter Manor.

It was time he apologized.

**- X -**

"Four weeks," Isabella muttered, sitting on the couch with Lily while James and Sirius were engaged in a brutal game of Wizard's Chess. "And not even so much as an owl."

"Give him time," Lily soothed. "You know how Remus gets about his furry little secret."

Isabella's lips quirked into a bitter smile. "Yeah, I know. And somewhere deep down, I can understand how he feels."

"But that doesn't make it hurt any less, does it?" Lily asked softly.

"No, Lils, it doesn't," she replied. "You'd think with the guys going to talk to him every bloody night and with how much progress they _say _he's making, I'd have heard something by now. But nooo… I don't get a single word out of the boys about if he's said anything about me. I don't get an owl from Remus himself. This is driving me MAD!"

"I haven't heard you complain this much since McGonagall nearly kicked you off the Quidditch team."

"I am not complaining. I'm just worried and pissed off."

"That leads to complaining."

"Lily!"

"It's true!"

"It is not!"

"I am not arguing with you, Iz-"

"Because we all know how impossible it is to win a fight with her, eh, Lily?"

"_Remus!_"

**- X -**

To say things after the baby incident were rocky for Isabella and Remus would have been an understatement. The rest of February passed slowly for the couple as they slowly pieced together what they could do to keep the baby safe from not only Remus but the war. Both realized that having a baby in the middle of a war was a bad idea, but they weren't going to back down from the challenge now.

She was still included at the Order meetings, but she was taken off of active duty so she couldn't go out on any of the missions, even thought most of them had required her knowledge of Runes. She had not been there for the mission that ended in the demise of the Prewett twins, something she regretted for she thought she could have helped them. Dorcas Meadowes had been killed by Voldemort himself, and Marlene's family massacred. Caradoc had vanished, and Benjy had been mutilated.

So far, none of the things that had occurred during the first war had changed, and that was something that extremely frustrated Isabella. She had lost friends and had been unable to help them.

There were just as many victories as there were losses, however. Evan Rosier and Wilkes met their ends at the hands of Aurors, who were now given permission by the Ministry to employ the Unforgivable Curses against their enemies. While many wizards and witches met their ends while bravely trying to face the Death Eaters - including the father of Dean Thomas.

Now, Isabella and Remus's wedding day was fast approaching, having been planned to be during a weekend in which all students would be allowed home for that weekend only so the wedding could occur in the Hogwarts Great Hall. With the passing of Marlene, Alice was the only bridesmaid and Lily the Maid of Honor, with Remus' best man being James and Frank as a groomsmen. Sirius and Peter had opted out of the wedding party. Sirius didn't think he had the right after how he treated Remus and Peter just didn't want to do it.

When the special day did arrive, everyone was bugging out but Isabella and Remus.

"What if she gets cold feet!" James asked, pacing back and forth. "She can't do that to you!"

"James would you calm down?" Remus asked with a chuckle. "Merlin alive, you'd think it was you getting married today instead of me."

"How are you not nervous!" James shouted, grabbing Remus by the shoulders and shaking him. "HOW!"

The girls were no better.

"What if he's not waiting for you at the alter?" Alice asked anxiously. "What if he realized he was tying himself down to one woman and didn't like the idea!"

"Alice, what kind of guy do you take him for?" Isabella asked with a smile.

"Sorry, Izzy," Alice said sheepishly as the music began. "Ooh, it's time!"

The girls lined up, Alice, Lily, and the Isabella as the Processional music began and Alice walked out. It seemed to take forever before it was Lily's turn to walk down the isle. The way Isabella could see James' eyes light up when he saw her in the dress made Isabella know how much James really loved Lily. It was so strange to think she had once thought all this was simply fake. Then she had gotten thrown into the Wizarding world and learned first hand that you can't always believe what you read or hear.

It was time for her to walk.

She took her first step, holding the bouquet of flowers tightly in her hands as the nervous butterflies exploded in her stomach. She locked eyes with Remus and he smiled, she returned it. Once she reached the alter that had been set up, the bouquet was passed off to Lily and Remus took her hands.

Dumbledore, who was acting as the officiant - which wasn't easy to okay with the Ministry, but they had eventually gotten the Minister to agree - smiled at the pair and raised his hands for silence.

"Dearly beloved," he began, addressing the crowd that included the Order members, some of their schoolmates, Lily's parents, Alice and Frank's parents, Remus' parents, and Peter's mother. "We are gathered here today in the sight of Merlin and in the presence of these witnesses, to join Remus John Lupin and Isabella Renee Byrom in holy matrimony…"

Staring into Remus's eyes as Dumbledore continued, Isabella found the words growing softer and softer as she lost herself in his eyes until the point of 'I do's' and the ring exchange.

"I now pronounce you bonded for life. You may kiss your bride."

_**A/N: Thanks to cArLySTAR15, Grace Adara Pendragon, EmilyLupin77, indescribably music, mistofan, MJ Potter Black Weasley, Bad Wolf Baybe, ElloHogwarts, Princess-Lazy-Chan, AikoRose, silvermoony77, smartykat, and DragonWand for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to Snips95, justawriter33, twilightluver3196, siiriuslove57, AikoRose, and LsShinigamiRose for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to Woopa, Snips95, running. with. wolves, ruan-san, Annabella Black, alliswell97, AikoRose, vmarslovahhh18, Hao'sAnjul, smartykat, MSkitty543921, Moony's Little Angel, and LsShinigamiRose for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**Fun fact about this chapter: I had planned to do the entire wedding speech, but decided against it at the last minute because typing all of it was really hurting my already injured hand. (It got closed in a car door! Don't worry, nothing broken. Just bruised.) And this has less dialogue than I would have liked, but oh well. That's just the way the wand snapped.**_

_**If you wonder what Isabella's wedding dress looks like. It's my current profile picture.**_

_**The quotes from the last chapter were…**_

_**1 - Vegeta and Goku from Dragonball Z**_

_**2- Dudley Frank from Wild Hogs.**_

_**3- Oliver Penderghast from Easy A.**_

_**Remember, name the character and the movie the quote is from for a preview of the next chapter. There are three quotes again this time, just because I like using a lot of quotes. XP**_

_**Quote 1: "Six months she hasn't seen me, it's like I'm a Frankie First Year. I'm only her brother…"**_

"_**She's got lots of them, but there's only one of him."**_

"_**Shut up."**_

_**Quote 2: "That's my girlfriend, you numpty!" **_

_**Quote 3: "You're giving us permission to do this?"**_

"_**That is correct."**_

"_**So, blow it up? Boom!"**_

"_**Boom!"**_

"_**Wicked. Um, and how exactly do you propose we do this?"**_

"_**Why don't you confer with him? As I recall, he has a particular proclivity for pyrotechnics."**_

"_**I can bring her down."**_

"_**That's the spirit. Off you go."**_

_**The first quote has 2 people to name. The second quote has 1. And the third quote has 3.**_

_**Review because reviews are better than your best friend going traitor!**_

_**~Izzy**_


	34. How Time Flies

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

P.S: Fair warning, this chapter jumps ahead in time. :P

_Chapter Thirty Three: How Time Flies, Into Hiding The Potters Go_

They say time flies when you're having fun. The truth of the matter is, it doesn't matter if you're having fun or not, time flies even when it seems like things are going by so slowly. No one knew this to be true better than Isabella Byrom, who was amazed it had been almost three years since she had arrived in the Wizarding World.

In the months since her wedding that had happened in March, Lily and James had been married. Sirius had finally gotten into a committed relationship with a shy Muggle girl, who had yet to learn about the Wizarding World, but with the way things were going, it wouldn't be long until Sirius told her the secret. The couple were getting rather serious rather quickly. Peter had said nothing suspicious to her since that night where he mentioned the Memory Charm, but she was always keeping a close watch on him. He was still as nervous and fidgety as ever, and he went strangely silent whenever the Order discussed the traitor that was hidden among them. It made it seem somewhat obvious that he never added his own input, how had they not seen it was Peter?

Oh right, because sweet little Peter could never do such a thing. It reminded her an awful lot about how no one thought it could have been Professor Quirrell that was evil in the Sorcerer's Stone book. Next to someone as dark and dreadful as Snape, Quirrell appeared perfectly normal.

The Order continued to fight against the Death Eaters and things were still in their advantage. Many Death Eaters identities had been revealed, not a shock to any that Bellatrix Lestrange and her husband Rodolphus were among the group. They had been suspects from the very start. No one but those in the Order knew of the others like the Malfoys, Mulciber, and a few others.

Her and Remus' daughter - it was so strange to think they were parents now - had been born on September 16, 1979 and was now only a few months short of being a year old. She was a beautiful little girl with Remus' sandy hair and blue eyes, but she had the same delicate skin tone of Isabella as well as Isabella's almond shaped eyes. The little girl, named Katrina Lyric Lupin because of the way the girl stopped crying whenever someone played music, was a ray of light in the dark times of war.

Harry had made his entrance on July 31, just as Isabella had always known he would, and was just reaching two weeks old as his parents prepared to go into hiding. They had asked to speak to both her and Sirius, as they were Harry's godparents, and Isabella knew they were planning to ask Sirius to be Secret Keeper. Although, she was curious as to why they wanted her there as well. She knew that Sirius would suggest for them to pick Peter, and if she had to reveal him as a traitor, then she would, if only to keep him from being picked. She didn't have any proof, but maybe if she could plant the little seed of doubt…

She shook her head. _James would probably doubt that Peter could be the traitor. Ever since that incident where he thought it was me, he has been wary of implicating any of his friends as the traitor._

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

"I'm coming, Katrina, I'm coming," Isabella said as she climbed the stairs of her and Remus' house.

That's right - house.

Remus had managed to find a job working for the family of one of the other Order members, and he had been doing extremely well. Plus, her career as a Healer had taken off, leaving the family with plenty of money coming in from both parents. They had bought a two-story house with four rooms in Ottery St. Catchpole, not far from where the Weasley family lived. Isabella often ran into Molly when out shopping in the town. She would often apologize for the loss of Gideon and Fabian, but Molly would have none of it.

"There was nothing you could have done, dear," Molly would say kindly, but Isabella was always suffering from the guilt that she _could _have done something.

The Weasley children were something else. They were all so adorable; it was hard to believe that Charlie, as charming as the little bloke was, would one day end up with various burns and scars from his career working with dragons. Or that Percy, the little gentlemen, would turn his back on the family he so obviously loved. Fred and George were miniatures of their uncles, something that made Isabella feel both joy and sadness. Baby Ron was only reaching five months old and Isabella remember that Ginny's birthday fell on August of 1981, meaning Molly would soon be pregnant once again.

"There's my baby girl!" Isabella cooed, picking up her almost eleven-month-old daughter. "Guess what? You'll be eleven months old in five days! Isn't that exiting?"

"Dada!"

"Daddy'll be home soon, sweetheart," Isabella answered, setting the baby on her feet and keeping hold of one hand. "You're growing up so fast, Rina. Able to walk as long as someone holds your hand already. Before I know it, you'll be off to Hogwarts."

Isabella sighed. Now she could understand how her parents felt when they asked 'Where'd all the years go?' No parent ever wants to admit that his or her baby is growing up, and that was what Isabella was experiencing now. She could picture herself breaking down as Katrina rode off on the Hogwarts Express for her first year of school. It was a hard to think about.

"Dada!" Katrina cried as the pair of them reached the top of the stairs.

Remus closed the front door behind him and smiled. "Princess!"

Smiling, Isabella kept tight hold on Katrina's hand as the pair descended the stairs, the young girl in an obvious hurry to reach her father. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Remus scooped up the little girl and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He had taken a bit of time, but he fell right into the role of being the best father Katrina could have hoped for. She was his little girl, and Isabella was amused by the way he doted on her.

"I have to go," Isabella said softly pecking him on the lips. "James, Sirius, and Lily are waiting."

"Alright, we'll be here," he smiled. "Won't we, Rina? Tell Mummy bye!"

"Bye, Mama!"

"You're so adorable!" Isabella cooed, placing a kiss on her daughter's forehead before grabbing her wand and Apparating to the Leaky Cauldron.

She caught sight of Frank and Mad-Eye at the counter, talking quietly to Tom about an incident that had occurred the night before. From what she understood, there was some sort of fight between a couple of teenagers, one from Slytherin, the other from Gryffindor. She had seen less and less of Frank, James, and Sirius, as they had finally managed to become Aurors, a whole year earlier than was usually allowed, but in times like these, it was necessary. She knew they must have been having a blast out there investigating all kinds of leads, and then getting to do the same for the Order. It was never ending excitement for the three of them. She had gone on a few missions since Katrina had been born, but none that were very dangerous or kept her away for long periods of time.

"Izzy!"

"Hey, Lils," Isabella greeted with a smile as she walked over to her friend. "Ready?"

Lily nodded and took Isabella's hand, Apparating them to the house she and James would be hiding out in. When they arrived, James and Sirius were seated on the couch, talking about something having to do with work. James smiled briefly and motioned for the two girls to sit down.

They did so.

"Lily and I wanted to talk to you both about something important," James began. "You know we're going into hiding, of course. The entire Order knows. However, we still need a Secret Keeper. I was hoping you'd do it, Sirius."

Sirius looked thoughtful for a moment and then shook his head. "I can't, mate. Think about it. I would be the obvious choice because I'm your best mate. They would expect you to choose me."

James sighed. "You're right, I guess. I didn't really think of it like that. Sorry, mate. I wish you could do it."

"So do I."

"Izzy," Lily asked softly. "Would you?"

Isabella paused to think about it. If she became their Secret Keeper, that would keep Peter from giving them away and that could possibly stop the events that would happen that Halloween night that was only just over a year away. The war would end, Harry's parents wouldn't die, and he wouldn't become famous. They could hunt down and destroy the Horcruxes before Voldemort had a chance to rise back into power. However, who's to say that he wouldn't find another way to find out where they were? Peter was resourceful, even if he was a coward; he could figure it out just as easily if he wasn't the Secret Keeper. The only other person who would know it was her would be Sirius and he wouldn't blab about anything. However, should Voldemort find out, would they blame her?

"What if something goes wrong?" she asked quietly. "Voldemort's spies are resourceful and sneaky. What if they learn something without me knowing about it?"

"Then we'll move again," James answered. "We trust you, Iz. You would never give us away willingly and we know that. Neither of you guys would."

"Please do it, Izzy," Lily added. "We expect for there to be slip ups, everyone who goes into hiding gets found every now and then."

_Is that true? _Isabella thought, her mind contemplating the pros and cons of her being a Secret Keeper. _Are they found every now and then? I can't remember hearing anything like that in the books…_

Finally, after a few long minutes she opened her mouth to answer.

_**A/N: Thanks to Mystical Beings, EmilyLupin77, ShinigamiWanabe, RedVinesOMG, cArLySTAR15, MJ Potter Black Weasley, indescribable music, ImaWake05, Gloo1997, mist fan, Snips95, cometgirl92, silvermoony77, MaraudersLiveOnAsAnimagus, WingedHybrid, Bad Wolf Baybe, Kaighla, ElloHogwarts, and zoeyjadlupin95 for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to Dexydon, ImperialRuby, cometgirl92, and silverdragon-023 for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to Otaku Wench, cometgirl92, sissam93, kenzerooni, , and UniquePopsicles for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**The quotes from the last chapter were…**_

_**Quote 1: Ron Weasley and Seamus Finnigan**_

_**Quote 2: Ron Weasley**_

_**Quote 3: Neville Longbottom, Professor McGonagall, and Seamus Finnigan.**_

_**All three quotes were from the Deathly Hallows part 2.**_

_**Review because reviews are better than going into hiding!**_

_**~Izzy**_


	35. That Fateful Night

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

P.S: This one has another time skip! In addition, after this, only the epilogue remains! Can you believe Falling is almost over? HOWEVER, DON'T FRET MY READERS! Falling's sequel, Finally Falling will be up not long after Falling's complete. Hopefully, I will have the sequel up before I start school on the 22nd. *SENIOR YEAR, HERE I COME!*

_Chapter Thirty Four: That Fateful Night_

_I'll do it._

The words echoed in her head even now, as she placed Katrina down to sleep in the spare crib set up in Harry's room. It had been over a year since she had agreed to be the Potter's Secret Keeper and there had been a few slip ups that had forced the Potters to move three times, eventually landing them in the newest house located in Godric's Hollow.

As true to their word, Lily and James did not blame her for any of the slips, for they knew by the way she had reacted and tried to track down whoever had found out that she had given them up. She had done her best to avoid anyone that acted suspiciously around the Potters, and had even avoided talking to Peter unless it was absolutely necessary. The little rat kept sending her smug looks, as if he had somehow found out the secret of where the Potters were housed, despite her precautions, but that couldn't be. There was no way.

"Goodnight my angel," Isabella said softly, checking to make sure Harry was still asleep before quietly leaving the room and heading back downstairs to the kitchen where Lily was waiting with a large bowl of candy and some hot chocolate.

"Can you believe that the kids are getting so old?" Lily asked as she took a sip. "Rina's two, Harry's one, they're growing up much to fast."

"I know, Remus is already talking about beating the boys away from his little girl," Isabella laughed. "Merlin, does he ever spoil her. I worry she's going to end up like Marlene was. Spoiled to core."

"But it was a good personality for Marlene," Lily said, a small smile on her face.

"Yes, it was good for Marlene, not my little girl," Isabella argued playfully. "You know, I feel like I'm forgetting something. I have this feeling…"

Lily groaned. "I hate when you get those feelings! Every time you do, something bad happens!"

"I know something bad happens, that's why I'm trying to remember," Isabella mused, shrugged her shoulder, and grabbed a bar of chocolate, tearing the wrapper and taking a bite. "Oh well, it'll come to me."

She shouldn't have forgotten. How could she forget something so important, something she had fussed over since her first day in Potter Manor?

How could she forget that fateful Halloween day that would change everyone's lives?

**- X -**

It was one in the morning when the door was blasted open, jolting Lily and Isabella from their sleep where they had collapsed on the couches in the living room. The girls grabbed their wands from the small table sitting in front of the couch and stood, instantly alert. James and Remus were gone for a mission with a couple of other Order members, and neither girl knew what was going on.

"You and your damn feelings," Lily muttered as they slowly approached the hallway that led to the front door.

"Stand aside," a firm voice hissed and Isabella could feel her heart drop.

"Oh no," she whispered, exchanging a horrified look with Lily before the two girls met Voldemort's blood red eyes.

"Stand aside, you silly girls!"

"Lily," Isabella said sternly. "Go get Harry and Rina and get out!"

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

Both girls moved quickly from the spells path and bolted up the stairs toward the nursery. Voldemort was not far behind them, a smirk playing across his crusty face as he slowly ascended the stairs, knowing the two were unlikely to get away. He would be killing four birds with one stone. The two Mudbloods and their spawn. He was cleansing the world of their filth. He reached the top of the stairs just as the nursery door was slammed shut and with a wave of his wand, it blasted open again, revealing the two young mothers, each holding their own child.

"Go!" Isabella cried, shoving Katrina into Lily's arms and blocking them from Voldemort's next spell.

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

Isabella could feel the air leave her lungs, but she did not falter. Why had the spell not killed her? This was the second time she had survived the Killing Curse. She heard two small cries from the kids as Lily Apparated away with them and Isabella picked up her wand from the ground, turning to face Voldemort.

"Impossible," he hissed. "There's no way you could have survived the Killing Curse a second time! Who are you?"

"I am Isabella Lupin," she replied, a smirk tugging her lips. "And you, Lord Voldemort, have failed. No one dies tonight, no one but you."

"Big words, Mudblood," he snarled, red eyes flashing. "But I'm afraid you are wrong. My skill far surpasses yours. You stand no chance."

"That's where you're wrong," Isabella said, ducking to the side as another spell flew from Voldemort's wrong. "I have a reason to win. You don't. All you want is power, and I want to protect those I love. You're the one who doesn't stand a chance! _Stupefy!_"

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

The two spells collided and canceled each other out, the two wizards faced each other again, glaring at once another before spells began flying, neither missing a beat as they dodged, countered, and launched spells at their opponents, no words being said as each tried to catch the other by surprise.

"_Stupefy!_"

"_Expelliarmus!_"

"_Bombarda!"_

Isabella screamed as the wall above her head exploded and she was hit with various pieces of rubble. Another well-aimed spell sent Isabella flying back, but she countered it with a counter-curse that had Voldemort hissing in pain as his eyes burned with pain, as though they had been pricked by thousands of tiny needles. Picking herself up from the floor, Isabella watched in slight amazement as something began happening to him.

He was vanishing.

"What?" he asked, glaring at her. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything," she said quietly. "Harry… this is because of Harry…"

"The boy," he mused quietly. "Of course. The prophecy said I would mark him as my equal and yet, this isn't his power alone, there is another…"

_Another? How is that possible? _Isabella thought in amazement.

He looked at her, and gave an evil laugh. "This is not over, Isabella. Your time against me is far from over. This is not the end. This is only the beginning of a new future! You had all the answers to the old one, but this change of events will bring new challenges along with those you already know about. In addition, there's nothing you can do to stop it. _Defodio!"_

Isabella fell to the ground in pain as painful gouges appeared on her body, blood splashing onto the floor. Voldemort watched her pain as he slowly faded away into nothing, leaving her alone and bleeding to death. She knew that there was a chance, a very good chance, that this would kill her. Lily had at least gotten the children to safety, although what Voldemort had said about Harry not being the only one equal to his power frightened her.

Surely, he wasn't referring to Katrina! Not her little girl.

Isabella tried to get up, but a searing pain across her mid-section made her stop and she weakly lifted her head to get a look at the large, gaping wound across her stomach, along with many others along her arms, legs, and chests. With a groan, she let her head fall back, seeing black beginning to dot her vision.

_The Potters are alive, I may not have been able to prevent Harry's becoming The Boy Who Lived, but at least he'll grow up with his parents in his life…_

She smiled, for her work was done, and let her eyes fall shut.

**- X -**

Lily paced back and forth, keeping a close eye on both the children sitting at the table. Harry's forehead was bleeding from a small lighting bolt shaped cut and Katrina had a small cut in the same shape on the palm of her hand. She had tried to stop the bleeding, but it had started again not long after. They would live with the scars forever. Dark magic was hard to deal with, especially when they ended with wounds. Sometimes the wounds would heal, but if they did, a scar almost always remained. Sometime wounds from dark magic never healed at all. The kids were lucky.

She had left Isabella alone to duel Voldemort! What had she been thinking, putting her friend in that kind of danger?

"LILY!"

James appeared from down the hall, eyes frantic and his hair a mess. "It was Peter! He led us right into a trap! Death Eaters jumped us, but we managed to fight them off. They said… they said that Voldemort was going after Harry. You're both okay, aren't you?"

He hurried over to his son, checking him over and then frowning when he saw the small cut, and then he caught sight of Katrina.

"Where's Izzy?" he asked quietly and all Lily could do was shake her head as tears fell.

_**A/N: Thanks to Bad Wolf Baybe, EmilyLupin77, MJ Potter Black Weasley, twilightluver3196, Princess-Lazy-Chan, silvermoony77, cArLySTAR15, mist fan, Kaighla, and AnimatedAbbie for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to ThePuppetLooksLikeGale, Matsuri Hikari, Reedy-Girl, and AnimatedAbbie for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to twilightluver3196, Matsuri Hikari, waterflygirl, Reedy-Girl, Psychotic Rose, golden-priestess, AnimatedAbbie, MikaylaDelaney, and LunaFortuna for adding this story to their alerts.**_

_**I realized I forgot the quotes, last chapter. So I will make up for it by having 5 quotes this chapter! Remember to name the characters and the movies/TV shows the quotes are from for a preview of the next chapter.**_

_**Quote 1: "You have had quite an influence on me. Which is amazing because I have dated thousands of women and - No, like two, three… just other women! A-and anyway, you could not be more different! You know, you are -you are practically, heh, one of the guys! No no no! You are not a guy! Let me begin again! Uh…"**_

_**Quote 2: "I made my family disappear."**_

_**Quote 3: "They never learn. Such a pity."**_

_**Quote 4: "I've always wanted to use that spell."**_

_**Quote 5: "I'm mad for her. I think it's about time I told her, since we'll probably both be dead by dawn!"**_

_**Review because reviews are better than having to duel Voldemort!**_

_**~Izzy**_


	36. Epilogue: Home Again

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I only own Isabella Byrom and her family as well as anything you don't recognize from JK's series.

_Epilogue: Home Again_

Isabella's eyes opened and she yawned as she looked around. Her room looked - wait, her _room_? She should have been dead or in St. Mungo's or something.

"Isabella, wake up! You're going to be late for work!"

"Mother?"

"Honestly," her mother appeared in the doorway, hands on her hips and eyes lit up in amusement. "You are twenty-one years old and you still need me to wake you up everyday for work. If you're late one more time, you could lose your job, and then you'll never be able to move out like you want. Go, get a move on."

As her mother disappeared, Isabella slowly got up from the bed and got dressed. Her mind was blazing with questions about what was going on and how she had gotten back home when the last time she had checked, she had just be severely wounded in a rather vicious duel against Lord Voldemort. There was no way she could be back… could she? Something wasn't right about this, that much she knew.

What had happened to Lily and the kids? Was her daughter all right? Did Remus know about the duel? In addition, more importantly, what had Voldemort meant when he had suggested there was more than one force that was destroying him? Did he mean Katrina?

Isabella shuddered at the thought her daughter would have to go through the trails with Harry. She had seen and read about the toll that fame had had on the boy and she didn't want that for Rina.

However, as long as she was stuck in her world again, she would never know.

**- X -**

She was motionless on the bed, spells helping her breathe. The Healers were optimistic that she would come out of the coma, but they weren't exactly sure when. Other than not being able to breath on her own, Isabella was the picture of health. If you didn't count the gouges on her body, but those were healing quickly. She had plenty of brain activity and she was responding well to the other spells that were helping her body heal, but she still hadn't woken up.

Remus felt awful as he watched her, holding her hand in his. When they had been out on the mission, he had nearly collapsed in pain as memories flooded back to him. Memories of Isabella talking with Dumbledore and him both about where she had come from, telling him about what she knew was to happen in both the past, present, and future. When Peter had led them into the trap, that was the exact moment the memories flooded back, the exact moment Voldemort vanished. Moreover, Peter, the little rat that he was, had taken off in his Animagus form.

Remus felt awful. For months, Isabella had been alone with no one to talk to, for he had learned that Dumbledore's memories had been tampered with as well. She'd had to deal with all she knew on her own, and it was a great burden on her, now that he thought back to all the times she had been stressed and he hadn't known the reason why. The Memory Charms were another thing of Peter's doing, or so the rat had said.

"Poor little Isabella," Peter had spat. "All alone with no one to confide in. Having to take on the world alone."

Remus looked at his wife's face, his own shadowed with worry.

She would wake up, he was sure of it, but he felt it that it wouldn't be for quite some time. However, he would wait, and he would still be there for her when she finally did wake up.

_**A/N: Thanks to MJ Potter Black Weasley, thebritishone, I. Need. Imagination, EmilyLupin77, Allycat817, InkShaper, SamTheShortyMan, ElloHogwarts, Bad Wolf Baybe, DragonWand, Kaighla, and DreamingODaisyChains for reviewing the last chapter. Thanks to wattsnelson, nomx3, and DreamingODaisyChains for adding this story to their favorites. Thanks to DreamingODaisyChains for adding this story to her alerts.**_

_**The quotes from the last chapter were:**_

_**Quote 1: Prince Naveen from the Princess and the Frog. **_

_**Quote 2: Kevin McCallister from Home Alone.**_

_**Quote 3: Voldemort from HPDH P2.**_

_**Quote 4: McGonagall from HPDH P2**_

_**Quote 5: Neville Longbottom from HPDH P2.**_

_**There will not be a quote this chapter, seeing as I will PM everyone when the sequel 'Finally Falling' is posted. Which I hope to have out in a few days. With me quitting band, I have more time, but with school starting on the 22**__**nd**__** and my senior year being somewhat busy, I don't know how often updates will happen after that.**_

_**Until the sequel!**_

_**~Izzy**_


	37. Sequel Preview

**_FINALLY FALLING PREVIEW_**

_I wonder what Rina's like…_ the sobbering thought made the light fade from her eyes as she backed up into the darkness.

"Katrina!" he shouted as she ran after her and Isabella felt her paws turn cold as she stared at them.

She must have been hearing things. There were a lot of girls named Katrina in the world, surely.

"Look at the haunted house, Daddy!" she said as he scooped her up. "Wouldn't Mummy let me go in?"

"I highly doubt it," he replied in amusement. "You're mother hated haunted houses, sweetheart."

"Daddy, will Mummy ever wake up?"

"I don't know," the man's voice was now tinged with sadness. "I sure hope so."

"Me too."

A loud, sickening growl grabbed her attention and made her fur prickle. She spun around and stared up into the eyes of a large dog. It looked at her, fangs bared and another threatening growl came from it. The shaggy black fur looked properly cared for, it certainly wasn't a stray. She raised a paw and raked her claws across its muzzle and the dog gave a small yelp, shaking its head and letting drops of blood hit the ground before leaping at her with a snarl. The two disappeared in a tangle of dark fur, drawing the man's attention.

**_A/N: This was merely a short preview of the sequeal, Finally Falling, which already has the Prologue and Chapter One posted! Just for those who have yet to notice the sequeal being up and have this on Alert. *Cough* ON another note..._**

**_Isabella Lupin now has a FB page. So like and we'll have some House Cup competitions and Harry Potter quizzes and all kinds of other fun._**

**_~Izzy_**


	38. A Note and A Preview

**A/N**

**Hello all readers of Falling/Finally Falling! This is author, Ashflight/Isabella Lupin Nyte here with some news regarding these stories. After months of no updates on the sequel, and numerous rereading of both stories, I have come to the decision to REWRITE these two stories. I have read them again over and over so many times and there are so many things I would like to fix/change. One of which will be Isabella's name.. It will no longer be Isabella. And the title of the new fic will be titled Rewriting The Pages. Now as for what Isabella's new name will be, you'll just have to wait to find out! BUT! I will provide you with a small preview from what I have already written, so enjoy!**

**PREVIEW**

_Screaming. _

I was so confused right now. Why on earth was I hearing screaming? Oh, what a horrible, desperate sound it was. It was breaking my heart as the scream echoed in my head again and again. Why couldn't I wake up? What was wrong? The scream, it was driving me crazy. It had to stop. I had to stop whoever was screaming like that. My blood was turning to ice as it kept happening. Why was someone screaming? Stop, please stop. It did, but it was replaced by sobbing, and a voice pleading. The words sounded jumbled, I couldn't quite make them out. But the laugh. Someone was laughing at whoever was begging.

"Oi, wake up!"

I jerked awake.

"Bout time you woke up!" a boy with shaggy black hair grinned, his stormy gray eyes amused. "You were muttering about screaming for some reason. Having another Lily/James nightmare?"

I stared. "A what?"

The boy snorted. "Oh, very funny. Acting like you don't know."

"Don't know what?" I repeated stupidly.

"Are you serious?" a voice squeaked.

Glancing to the side I caught sight of a slightly overweight boy with mousy brown hair who was eying me like I was crazy. His eyes bore right into me and I frowned.

"No, I am!" the first boy said with a laugh.

"Sirius!" groaned a boy with his nose buried in a book. "That joke is really getting old. We're third years now, we have to be a little more mature now."

"Come on, Remus, you know its funny," Sirius said. "Right, Peter?"

"Yeah," said the mousy boy.

Remus lowered his book, rolling his blue eyes. "Its really not."

_Sirius. _

I blinked.

_Remus._

No way.

_Peter._

I had obviously be reading and watching too much Harry Potter lately.

"Hey guys!" a boy with messy black hair had opened the door to the compartment, hazel eyes sparkling with mischief. "You have got to see what I did to Snivellus."

"What'd ya do, James?" Peter asked curiously.

_Snivellus?_

_**JAMES? JAMES FREAKING POTTER!?**_

Things have officially gotten weird, but hey, anyone has to admit that this is a pretty cool dream. What Harry Potter fan can say they dreamed that they met the Marauders when said Marauders were back in their Hogwarts days? Not many, that's for sure.


End file.
